57 Guns Taken Off The Streets At New Rochelle Gun Buyback: AG

NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The gun buyback event at the Bethesda Baptist Church in New Rochelle on Friday was deemed a success by all parties involved.

New York Attorney General Letitia James said 57 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun event hosted by her office, Westchester County Executive George Latimer, Westchester District Attorney Miriam Rocah and the New Rochelle Police Department. During the amnesty event, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepted — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site.

“The threat of gun violence continues to loom over our neighborhoods and endanger our families and children,” James said. “From taking down violent groups responsible for causing harm to hosting gun buybacks and working with organizations addressing this crisis — we are doing everything we can to eradicate gun violence and protect our communities in Westchester and throughout the state.”

James said her office has taken more than 2,100 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other initiatives since she took office in 2019.

“Thank you to Attorney General Letitia James for once again showing her commitment to keeping our streets safe,” said Westchester County Executive George Latimer. “Since 2017 in Westchester County, we have seen a decrease in index crimes by 11 percent and an increase in weapons secured by our county police by 370 percent. Programs like this gun buyback, coupled with the hard work of our men and women in law enforcement, result in fewer lives lost due to senseless gun violence.”

Today’s community gun buyback resulted in 25 handguns, 29 shotguns and rifles, two assault rifles and a non-working gun being collected. Since 2013, the Attorney General's office, under the leadership of James and her predecessors, has hosted gun buyback events throughout New York, collecting nearly 4,100 firearms.

In exchange for the firearms, the buyback event offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards and Apple iPads, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.

“We are hopeful that the gun buyback program will have an impact on violent crime in New Rochelle,” said New Rochelle Police Commissioner Robert Gazzola. “We know that collecting unwanted guns will be beneficial to our community.”

Latimer joined James, Rocah, New Rochelle police, State Senator Andrea Stewart-Cousins, Legislator Damon Maher, Legislator Vedat Gashi, Assemblyman Gary Pretlow, New Rochelle Mayor Noam Bramson and members of Moms Demand Action for the gun buyback program that netted nearly 60 guns on Friday.