Attorney General James Announces 462 Guns Turned in at Hauppauge Gun Buyback and More Than 3,000 Guns Turned In Throughout New York State

Including Today’s Landmark Event, AG James Has Taken More Than 7,000 Firearms Out of New York Communities Since 2019

HAUPPAUGE – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that 462 firearms were turned in at a community gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Suffolk County Police Department. This event — the largest gun buyback hosted by the Office of the Attorney General on Long Island — was part of Attorney General James’ historic effort to hold nine simultaneous gun buyback events on the same day in communities throughout the state. Including the guns turned in at the Hauppauge event, Attorney General James secured more than 3,000 guns today alone from across the state. To date, Attorney General James has removed more than 7,000 guns from New York communities since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence has caused so many avoidable tragedies and robbed us of so many innocent New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “Through our partnership with local law enforcement and public officials, we were able to organize this historic, single-day gun buyback event in nine locations throughout New York state. Every gun that we removed out of Hauppauge homes and off the streets is a potential tragedy averted and another step in protecting communities throughout New York state.”

Guns recovered from Hauppauge Gun Buyback on Statewide Gun Buyback Day

Today’s statewide gun buyback resulted in the collection of more than 3,000 guns, including 185 assault rifles, 1,656 handguns, and 823 long guns. These figures include the 462 guns collected from the Hauppauge event, which included 38 assault rifles, 227 handguns, and 135 long guns. Altogether, Attorney General James has removed more than 7,000 guns from New York communities since taking office in 2019.

“It is critical that we do everything we can to make sure that people who are potentially a danger to themselves or others, do not have access to guns in the first place,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “I am proud that the Suffolk County Police Department is able to partner with Attorney General Letitia James to host this important community gun buyback event. I would also like to thank the Attorney General for her continued efforts to get dangerous weapons off of our streets.”

“Guns in the wrong hands can lead to deadly, tragic consequences, which is why gun buyback programs are a powerful law enforcement tool that can lead to a reduction in gun violence,” said Suffolk County Police Commissioner Rodney K. Harrison. “I commend Attorney General James for championing these events, and I am proud the Suffolk County Police Department is participating in the first statewide community gun buyback that will certainly have a positive impact in the community.” 

“As a former police detective, I understand how important it is to get guns off our streets to ensure the safety of our community,” said State Assembly Deputy Speaker Phil Ramos. In New York state, I am proud that we passed the Red Flag Law, which helps police departments stop threats before they happen. “This Gun buyback program, hosted by Attorney General James, is another great tool to ensure that we do everything possible to address the growing gun epidemic in our nation.”

“The most effective way to reduce gun violence in our communities is to reduce the number of illegal guns on our streets,” said State Senator Monica R. Martinez. “I thank Attorney General James for partnering up with my office and SCPD on this important event which will undoubtedly aid in saving lives. Working together with local law enforcement agencies and stakeholders across the state on Gun Buyback initiatives will make our state safer; we remain committed to keeping Long Islanders safe.”

“We applaud Attorney General Letitia James for continuing to take proactive steps to keep our communities safe,” said Shari Maurer, Volunteer, New York Chapter of Moms Demand Action. “New York is demonstrating its ongoing commitment to a multi-faceted approach to saving lives and we look forward to continuing to partner with her office and lawmakers to keep New York a national leader in the gun safety movement.”

“New York continues to be a national leader in smart, effective gun laws. And as a result, it has one of the lowest gun death rates in the country — 63% below the national average,” said David Pucino, Deputy Chief Counsel, Giffords Law Center. “Attorney General James's leadership has been critical to New York's success in fighting gun violence, but there is more work to do. This weekend’s buyback will get more potentially dangerous guns off the streets. And while we can never know whose lives will be saved by this initiative, we know fewer families will be victimized by gun violence. Thank you to everyone who made this happen.”