The NYPD, in partnership with Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz’s office, is hosting a gun buyback program on Saturday, Sept. 21, at First Presbyterian Church, located at 89-60 164th St. in Jamaica.
From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., residents can surrender as many guns as they wish; however, the cash-for-guns program is limited to two guns per participant, including ghost guns. No identification is needed to surrender the firearm, and anyone can surrender a gun on behalf of the gun owner.
Anyone surrendering their firearms is eligible for a bank card after a department specialist inspects the gun. Residents surrendering an operable handgun or assault rifle will receive a $500 bank card. Surrendered ghost guns or 3D-printed guns are worth a $200 bank card, and operable rifles or shotguns equate to a $75 bank card. Furthermore, $25 will be given to residents who surrender airguns, non-operable handguns and imitation pistols. The maximum payout amount for the gun buyback program is $1,000.
Surrendered firearms must be placed in a plastic bag, box or paper bag and transported in the trunks of personal vehicles. Active and retired law enforcement officers and licensed gun dealers are not eligible to participate in the gun buyback program.
This program is part of an ongoing effort to encourage New Yorkers who are in possession of a gun to turn it in anonymously. Outside of this month’s program, the NYPD offers $200 to anyone who surrenders a handgun (including revolvers or semiautomatic or automatic pistols), sawed-off shotgun or an assault weapon in apparently operable condition. Residents must call their local police precinct, police service area (PSA) or police transit district for instructions on participating in the Cash For Guns program. No questions will be asked, and no identification will be required.
For more information on the September gun buyback program, call 646-610-5323.
