Camden County Collects 249 Guns During Massive NJ Buyback Event

CAMDEN COUNTY, NJ — A total of 249 guns were collected at Antioch Baptist Church in Camden during what authorities called “New Jersey’s largest ever single-day gun buyback” event last weekend.

In all, nearly 3,000 firearms were collected at gun buyback events held at 10 locations in Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Mercer, Middlesex, Monmouth, Salem, Somerset, and Union counties, according to officials.

Acting Attorney General Andrew J. Bruck made the announcement with county prosecutors and law enforcement leaders from participating locations during a news conference at the Nation Guard Armory in Lawrenceville on Thursday.

The “Guns for Cash” events in Englewood, Camden, Bridgeton, Trenton, Somerset, Asbury Park, Carneys Point, Elizabeth, Plainfield, and Westfield yielded 2,806 firearms.

The guns collected at the 10 locations included 1,196 handguns, 1,206 rifles/shotguns, and 29 assault rifles.

In Camden, 120 handguns, 101 rifles/shotguns and two assault rifles were collected, according to authorities.

“The CCPO is proud to have been a part of this statewide initiative that resulted in thousands of guns being collected,” Acting Camden County Prosecutor Jill S. Mayer said. “Those guns will never make it to the streets or fall into the hands of a child because of the outstanding team effort, spearheaded by Acting Attorney General Bruck, and his vision for a safer New Jersey. This gun buy back was just one chapter in our mission to reduce gun violence in our county and state.”

“Every single gun recovered represents a potential life saved,” Bruck said. “Our gun buyback events are a great example of what can be accomplished when law enforcement agencies work together with the communities they serve.”

New Jersey residents were invited to turn in up to three firearms of any type “no questions asked,” and could earn up to $750. Under standardized pricing set for the buybacks, gun owners were paid $25 for inoperable firearms and BB/pellet guns, $125 for rifles and shotguns, $200 for handguns, and $250 for assault rifles.

The buybacks were funded predominantly by forfeiture dollars obtained by the local police departments and county prosecutors’ offices, as well as forfeiture funds from the Division of Criminal Justice.

Each of the gun buybacks represented a collaboration between law enforcement and community stakeholders, who promoted and assisted with the events.

Locally, the Camden County Prosecutor's Office hosted the event with the help of the Camden County Police Department and the Camden County Sheriff’s Office.

“Taking guns off the street is critical for us to make the city a safer place to live and work,” Camden County Police Chief Gabriel Rodriguez said. “Anytime we take even one gun off the street or out of a home, we remove a significant liability from our community. I want to thank the Attorney General for his leadership on this issue and look forward to continuing to work with him and our law enforcement partners on this vital issue for our residents.”

Co-sponsors Cooper University Health Care and Virtua Health donated a portion of the money that was distributed in exchange for firearms.

“As a leader in the region, Cooper has an obligation to support public safety initiatives, particularly successful programs that take deadly weapons off the street, to improve the quality of life for those who live in the communities we serve,” Cooper co-CEO Kevin O’Dowd said. “We are proud to be partnering with the Office of the Attorney General, Camden County Prosecutor’s Office, and our colleagues at Virtua Health to fund this important initiative.”

“Safety is always the top priority in health care, so Virtua Health is proud to support the Gun Buy Back program,” Virtua Camden Director of Operations Greg Pease said. “By reducing the number of guns in our communities, the Buy Back program will save lives and increase everyone’s safety – especially for children and other vulnerable people.”

The nearly 3,000 guns collected at the buybacks were rendered inoperable by local police who staffed each event, and will be melted down.

“We are committed to doing everything in our power to reduce gun violence in New Jersey,” said Lyndsay V. Ruotolo, Director of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We saw an outpouring of support from community members and leaders this past Saturday, and the latest results are proof positive that the gun buyback is a successful way for us to actively, collaboratively, and successfully participate in a united violence reduction effort.”

A breakdown of the firearms collected by county is as follows:

Bergen County (Englewood)
County Prosecutor Mark Musella
Total guns: 248
Assault rifles: 1
Rifles/shotguns: 95
Handguns: 119

Cumberland County (Bridgeton)
County Prosecutor Jennifer Webb-McCrae
Total guns: 391
Assault rifles: 10
Rifles/shotguns: 142
Handguns: 168

Mercer County (Trenton)
County Prosecutor Angelo J. Onofri
Total guns: 194
Assault rifles: 2
Rifles/shotguns: 102
Handguns: 58

Middlesex/Somerset Counties (Somerset)
County Prosecutors Yolanda Ciccone & Michael H. Robertson
Total guns: 621
Assault rifles: 2
Rifles/shotguns: 274
Handguns: 239

Monmouth County (Asbury Park)
Acting County Prosecutor Lori Linskey
Total guns: 360
Assault rifles: 3
Rifles/shotguns: 133
Handguns: 159

Salem County (Carneys Point)
Acting County Prosecutor Kristin J. Telsey
Total guns: 223
Assault rifles: 3
Rifles/shotguns: 92
Handguns: 86

Union County (Elizabeth, Plainfield, Westfield)
County Prosecutor William A. Daniel
Total guns: 520
Assault rifles: 6
Rifles/shotguns: 267
Handguns: 247