More than 70 firearms turned in on first day of JC gun buyback

JERSEY CITY – More than six dozen firearms were voluntarily turned on Saturday as part of Operation Lifesaver II, the city’s second gun buyback program.
Under the program Jersey City residents were able to trade in illegal firearms for money. Residents who turned in rifles and shotguns received $100, while those who turned in handguns and automatic weapons received $150.
Residents will again be able to turn in weapons for cash this Saturday, July 23, from noon until 4 p.m.
During the first day of the gun buyback, approximately 30 handguns, rifles, and other firearms had been turned in as of 3 p.m. at the Mary McLeod Bethune Community Life Center, according to Jersey City Police Det. Rhudell Snelling. Snelling and Police Officers Dejon Morris and Corey J. Parson collected the weapons from residents who ranged in age from people in their 20s to senior citizens.
The Bethune Center was one of three sites where guns were turned in Saturday. In addition to the Bethune Center, residents were also able to turn in firearms for money at St. Nicholas Church and Evangelismos Greek Orthodox Church Community Center.
Jersey City Police Chief Tom Comey and Mayor Jerramiah Healy were expected to display on Monday all of the weapons turned in on the first day of the buyback, including a type of machine gun known as a “Street Sweeper.”
Residents who missed the first day of the gun buyback can still turn in illegal firearms this Saturday from noon until 4 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Church, 511 Pavonia Avenue; Monumental Baptist Church, 121 Lafayette Street; and Heavenly Temple Church, 15 MLK Drive.
Operation Lifesaver II, the city’s second gun buyback in six years, is being co-sponsored by the Jersey City Police Department and the Interfaith Ministerial Alliance. The city’s first gun buyback, held in 2005 and dubbed Operation Lifesaver, took 897 guns off the city’s streets.
The city raised $70,000 from the local business and corporate community to fund Operation Lifesaver II, a Healy spokesperson said last week. – E. Assata Wright