Mayor Ras J. Baraka, the Newark Municipal Council, Police Director Eugene Venable, Police Chief Anthony Campos and the Newark Police Department announced that the city of Newark’s gun buyback, held Friday, May 1 and Saturday, May 2 at the Fourth Precinct located in Newark’s West Ward, was a success.
The buyback resulted in 168 weapons being received and $22,100 paid out to residents.
“This gun buyback program that we are hosting, in collaboration with our law enforcement partners and other organizations, is a major part of our efforts to remove potentially dangerous weapons from the homes and streets of the city of Newark,” said Baraka. “I thank all the residents who took advantage of this program, turned in unwanted weapons from their homes and helped transform Newark into a safer city we can all believe in.”
Those surrendering weapons were granted immunity from prosecution for possessing the firearms. The person surrendering the weapon could not already be charged with, or under investigation for, the unlawful possession of the firearm to be surrendered.
No more than three firearms could be surrendered by any one person at any one time. If an individual arrived with more than three weapons, all were processed, but the person surrendering the weapon was given compensation for only three of the weapons.
The Police Department is planning future buybacks. Funding for the payments came from the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office.