New York attorney general to host first ‘gun buyback’ event in effort to curb violence

New York Attorney General Letitia James is hosting the state’s first “gun buyback” later this month, her office announced on Tuesday, in an effort to curb gun violence.

The AG’s office will pay $500 per assault rifle or ghost gun, $500 for the first handgun turned in per person and smaller dollar amounts for various other firearms turned in on-site at nine events statewide on April 29, according to a release. 

Both working and non-working unloaded firearms will be accepted in exchange for prepaid gift cards “with no questions asked,” the office said, though the weapons are required to be turned in within a bag or box. There is also no limit on the number of weapons that can be turned in. 

“This is an amnesty program, in which no questions will be asked about the person dropping off the gun,” the AG’s office stressed.

The buyback events, held in conjunction with local law enforcement, will be held in a variety of New York locations at varying times on the 29th. 

“We’re doing everything we can to get dangerous guns off our streets and stop gun violence,” James said on Twitter.

James’s gun buyback announcement comes in the wake of mass shootings in Kentucky, Tennessee and Alabama in recent weeks, and amid renewed debate about gun violence in America. 

The move also comes as House Republicans try to scrutinize crime in New York City, where former President Trump was hit with criminal charges earlier this month by the Manhattan District Attorney.