NY Attorney General and RPD host gun buyback event

ROCHESTER, N.Y. (WROC) – For the first time in over four years, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and the Rochester Police Department hosted a gun buyback event for people in possession of unwanted and unregistered firearms.

The buyback was held at the Church of Love Faith Center on Exchange Street in Rochester, with over a hundred people waiting in line to surrender their firearms. It was organized as a way for community members to safely discard of their guns, with no questions asked.

Those who brought their firearms received compensation for doing so, the amount depending on the functionality and style of the gun they had. Community members received anywhere from $25 for a homemade or 3-D printed gun, to $500 for assault rifles.

Lieutenant Michael Ciulla with the Rochester Police Department said he was overwhelmed with the turnout and that RPD is happy that the community responded positively to the buyback.

“Like all the department’s initiatives, community involvement is key to the success of the buyback,” Lt. Ciulla said. “This is just another instance in which we’re asking for the community’s help in reducing gun violence in the city of Rochester, and the community, as always, has come through for us”.

Once guns are surrendered to the police department, they’re logged and then handled further by the Monroe County Property Clerk.

Anyone who may be in possession of an unwanted or unregistered firearm can call 911 to have a police officer come and safely dispose of it, without compensation. Both RPD and the Attorney General’s office hopes to host more gun buybacks for Rochester in the future.

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