New Yorkers can turn in their firearms for money — no questions asked — from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on June 13 at the Upper West Side’s Central Baptist Church through the Manhattan District Attorney’s gun buyback event. The event will be in partnership with the NYPD and offers up to $1,500 in prepaid gift cards per participant.
“Combating gun violence requires more than prosecution — it demands community investment, partnerships, and meaningful engagement to build trust and improve public safety,” said Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg in an emailed statement. “Our comprehensive approach, including gun buybacks, [is] making a real impact in Manhattan, with a 60% decline in shootings [as of late May] since I took office. Gun buybacks are a critical violence prevention strategy that safely removes firearms from our communities before they can be used in a tragedy.
“Every gun turned in reduces the risk of a potential act of violence or accidental shooting, and I encourage New Yorkers with firearms to turn them in on June 13.”
The buyback will pay $500 per operable handgun or assault rifle, $200 per 3D-printed ghost gun (2 maximum), and $75 per operable rifles or shotguns. Participants will only receive payments for up to three guns after a department specialist inspection. Non-operable guns and air or fake guns can be turned in for $25; they must be placed in a bag or box.
Bragg’s usual summer gun violence prevention efforts, like the buyback, continue as he starts his second term in office. The gun violence prevention grant dates back to Bragg’s first year in office and enlists local Manhattan nonprofits to engage youth in quality programming, often in catchment areas where shootings are traditionally more frequent.
Bragg also recently announced another round of grants for local community-based organizations to keep youths busy during the hottest and often deadliest months. Harlem programs that received grants this year include Jackie Rowe-Adams’s Harlem Mothers & Fathers S.A.V.E and the Living Redemption Community Development Corporation.
“Preventing gun violence is not only about enforcement; it is about creating pathways, building trust, and ensuring our youth have access to safe spaces, mentorship, creative expression, and meaningful opportunities throughout the summer months,” said Assemblymember Al Taylor in a statement. “I commend District Attorney Alvin Bragg and all of the community-based organizations receiving this support for continuing to do the difficult and necessary work of reaching our young people before violence reaches them.”
