Attorney General James Announces 751 Guns Turned in at Syracuse 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

SYRACUSE – New York Attorney General Letitia James today announced that 751 firearms were turned in at a community gun buyback event hosted by her office and the Syracuse Police Department. This event — the largest gun buyback hosted by the Office of the Attorney General in Central New York — 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 Syracuse 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 Syracuse homes and off the streets is a potential tragedy averted and another step in protecting communities throughout New York state.”

Guns recovered from Syracuse 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 751 guns collected from the Syracuse event, which included 36 assault rifles, 447 handguns, and 215 long guns. Altogether, Attorney General James has removed more than 7,000 guns from New York communities since taking office in 2019.

“I am pleased that we are able to continue partnering with Attorney General James’ Office to host some of the most successful gun buyback programs across the state, acquiring a total of 582 guns in the last two years,” said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. “I urge members of our community take advantage of this opportunity as we work to reduce gun violence in Syracuse through consistent and multifaceted response.”

“I’d like to thank the Attorney General’s Office for sponsoring another gun buyback event,” said said Syracuse Police Chief Joseph Cecile. “Any guns we can secure from falling into the hands of those who would use them for criminal acts and gun violence makes our community safer.”

“Collecting unwanted firearms is an important community service and I appreciate Attorney General Letitia James’ actions to ensure public safety in Central New York,” said State Senator John W. Mannion. “This event is the safe, responsible, and legal way to remove any unwanted firearms from your home.”

“I am proud to stand with the Attorney General to reduce gun violence in our streets. While today's gun buyback captured what was voluntarily brought in, that's less firearms in circulation for bad actors to purchase or otherwise acquire,” said Assemblymember Pamela Hunter. “Unwanted and unmonitored guns can also lead to accidental shootings within households. I am thankful to everyone who participated today and made use of this program to potentially save lives.”

“I want to thank Attorney General Letitia James and the Syracuse Police Department for co-sponsoring another successful gun buyback program here in Syracuse,” said Assemblymember William Magnarelli. “Getting guns off the streets will help to keep our community safe. I urge members of our community to take advantage of this program.”

“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.”