Guns For Gift Cards: New Yorkers Surrendered 3,000 Firearms To State Gov. For Cash

New Yorkers Turn in Thousands of Firearms in Exchange for Gift Cards

Last weekend, New Yorkers participated in a statewide, no-questions-asked “landmark event” coordinated by the attorney general’s office, surrendering thousands of firearms in exchange for gift cards ranging from $25 to $500. According to ABC News, officials collected more than 3,000 guns at nine buyback locations throughout the state.

Gift Cards for Guns

New York State Attorney General Letitia James said that gun owners who turned in their firearms were awarded $500 gift cards for turning in rifles, handguns, and untraceable “ghost guns.” Additional handguns surrendered received an extra $150 gift card. Participants also received $25 and $75 cards for non-working, antique, or 3D-printed replica rifles and shotguns.

Protecting Communities

“Gun violence has caused so many avoidable tragedies and robbed us of so many innocent New Yorkers,” James said in a news release. “Every gun that we removed out of Syracuse homes and off the streets is a potential tragedy averted and another step in protecting communities throughout New York state.”

Concerns Over Gun Ownership

At a news conference, Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh of the Independence Party of New York blamed the rise in crime on gun ownership expansion, condemning federal and state officials nationwide for “abdicating their responsibility” to sell and handle firearms safely. “There are too many damn guns in this country. They’re everywhere. And we have too many states that are abdicating their responsibility to ensure that guns are being sold safely,” Walsh said at the news conference. “And our federal government is abdicating their responsibility to ensure that guns are being handled safely.”

Successful Buyback Programs

Gun buyback programs have been popular in cities across America since the 1970s, according to Pew Research. While some may question their effectiveness, the recent buyback event in New York State was successful in collecting thousands of firearms and potentially preventing future tragedies.