You are reading

DA Melinda Katz and AG Letitia James Hold Gun Buyback Event, Net Nearly 80 Guns

NYPD Community Affairs Chief Jeffrey Maddrey, GatewayJFK Executive Director Scott Grimm-Lyon, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz and New York State Attorney General Letitia James look over firearms collected in the buyback (Photo Courtesy of Queens DA)

June 14, 2021 By Christina Santucci

Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz partnered with state Attorney General Letitia James to hold a gun buyback in Springfield Gardens over the weekend – and the event netted nearly 80 firearms.

“Every gun that we get off the streets is a potential life saved, a potential tragedy averted,” the DA said in a statement.

A total of 79 working and non-working firearms were exchanged Saturday at St. Mary Magdalene Roman Catholic Church for cash rewards and electronics – with no questions asked by authorities.

Those who turned in guns at the buyback received bank cards with values ranging from $25 to $200, depending on the type of weapon and whether it was operable. Some participants also were given Apple iPads in return for their firearms.

Saturday’s buyback was co-sponsored by Gateway JFK, St. Luke Cathedral of Laurelton, St. Mary Magdalene and the New York City Police Foundation.

Assemblymember Alicia Hyndman and Councilmember Selvena Brooks-Powers also joined Katz and James at a news conference following the event to speak out against gun violence.

“Gun violence threatens our communities and puts New Yorkers in harm’s way every day,” James said in a statement. “It is more critical now than ever, especially during gun violence awareness month, that we take measures to curb this devastation and protect our neighborhoods and families.”

Gun violence awareness month began in New York in June 2013, as shootings generally increase in the city during the summertime months.

email the author: [email protected]
No comments yet

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Five Queens Village residents charged after search warrant turns up drugs, weapons near 10-year-old boy’s bedroom: DA

Five people were arraigned in Queens Criminal Court on drugs and weapons charges late Wednesday night, hours after the NYPD executed a search warrant at their Queens Village home and seized four firearms — including an assault rifle — and more than 4 kilograms of fentanyl-laced cocaine and heroin with a street value of more than $200,000, according to Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. The weapons and drugs were discovered just steps away from a 10-year-old boy’s bedroom.

Cambria Heights Library gets $2.8 million for crucial resilience upgrades

Sep. 20, 2023 By Bill Parry

As Climate Week NYC got underway, Councilwoman Nantasha Williams presented a check for $2.8 million in funding to Queens Public Library to support vital resilience upgrades at the Cambria Heights Library on Monday, Sept. 19. The resilience upgrades are designed to enhance the library’s ability to withstand and recover from adverse events and to ensure that it remains a valuable hub for education, information and community engagement.