FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, September 9, 2020
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez and NYPD to Host
Gun Buyback Event in East New York
Will be Held at St. Paul Community Baptist Church on Saturday, September 12;
$200 Will be Given for Every Working Handgun or Assault Rifle, No Questions Asked
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, together with New York City Police Commissioner Dermot Shea, today announced a Gun Buyback event that will be held on Saturday, September 12, 2020 from 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. at St. Paul Community Baptist Church, located at 859 Hendrix Street in East New York, Brooklyn. The event is hosted in partnership with Rev. David Brawley of East Brooklyn Congregations and Metro IAF, a national community organizing network.
District Attorney Gonzalez said, “As we stand up against an uptick in shootings throughout our city and in Brooklyn, we must employ every strategy and engage every part of our community. Saturday’s gun buyback event will provide an opportunity for everyone to turn in a firearm and receive cash – a simple action that can help reduce the number of lethal weapons on our streets. I encourage anyone who is in possession of a gun or a rifle, or knows of someone who is, to come out to St. Paul’s Church, get some money and help make Brooklyn safer. My gratitude to the NYPD and Metro IAF for partnering with us.”
Commissioner Dermot Shea said, “Every day, in all kinds of ways, our NYPD officers work tirelessly to prevent gun violence. This buyback event with the community and our partners in the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office represents one more effort to take guns, and the bullets in them, off of our city streets.”
Pastor Brawley said, “We are pleased to work with Brooklyn DA Gonzalez and NYPD Commissioner Shea on this buyback effort. Every gun taken off the street is a gun that can’t do damage to our children and other residents. But we need to do more — identifying the mostly out-of-state gun dealers who supply these weapons in the first place and pressuring gun makers like Glock to cut off their ties to these dealers of neighborhood destruction. Through my work as co-chair of Metro IAF we have proposed the Do Not Stand Idly By campaign which offers a comprehensive outline to do this. We also believe that the time has come for gun makers to integrate state-of-the-art gun safety technology into their weapons.”
The District Attorney said that his Office, along with the NYPD, will offer money in the form of $200 bank cards for each operable gun or assault rifle turned in. All transactions will be anonymous, no questions asked. The bank cards will be issued after each firearm is received and screened by officers on-site. Guns should be unloaded and packaged in a paper or plastic bag or a box when brought to the event. If transported by car, the guns must be kept in the trunk. Both working and inoperable weapons will be accepted.
Participants will receive $25 for operable rifles, shotguns and air guns. Unlimited numbers of guns can be turned in, but participants will receive a limit of $600 in bank cards. No identification is required, and the firearms will be accepted with no questions asked. Active and/or retired law enforcement officers and licensed gun dealers are not eligible for this event.
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