"It was a great turnout that will ensure 200 fewer guns will be available for a child to access or a criminal to use on our streets," McGuire proudly told CLIFFVIEW PILOT this evening. "This is a proactive law enforcement initiative to promote safe streets and safe schools."
Using cash forfeited by drug dealers, up to $150 is being paid for each firearm surrendered. As part of the arrangement, no innocent civilian who turns in a weapon will be arrested, whether the gun is illegal or not, the sheriff promised.
Compimentary trigger locks and gun safety information will also be provided at each drop-off location for individuals with registered firearms.
"Gun violence knows no boundaries," McGuire told CLIFFVIEW PILOT.
Of course, criminals weren't streaming into churches with weapons for sale. But officials tempted friends and family members of people who brought guns into their house to get them out without fear of being arrested or implicated. That’s the one, true demonstrative value of such a program.
"We are calling on all residents to join us in keeping our communities safe,” said McGuire, who did quite a bit of behind-the-scenes manuevering to organize such a large-scale initiative. “If we can get even one dangerous weapon off our streets, we can protect our children and make Bergen County a safer place in which live, work and play.”
The best part: Not a dime of taxpayer money will be used.
WHEN/WHERE: 1 to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 28 & 29:
SATURDAY: Our Lady of Mt. Virgin, St. Joseph’s Center, 199 Harrison Ave., Garfield; St. John the Evangelist, Conlon Hall, 17 North William Street, Bergenfield; Mount Olive Baptist Church, 260 Central Avenue, Hackensack
Bergen County Sheriff Leo McGuire & local clergy
SUNDAY: St. John the Evangelist, Lower Hall, 470 Broad Ave., Leonia; St. Andrew’s, 120 Washington Ave., Westwood; St. Michael’s Church, Convent, 510 Ridge Road, Lyndhurst
PRICE LIST: Assault Weapons/Machine Guns: $150; Rifles/shotguns: $75; Handguns: $75; non-operational weapons: $50
BE SURE to leave the unloaded gun(s) in a locked container or stored in a vehicle trunk.
As with many innovative, crime-fighting initiatives, the method remains open to debate.
There is no question that people are buying, carrying and using guns illegally. Given New Jersey’s strict gun control laws, that puts “the good guys” at a severe disadvantage: More likely than not, the gun owner they come up against is prepared to use it -- and not for hunting or target practice.
And in many cases, they’ve stolen that weapon from someone’s home.
Estimates of the number of privately owned guns in the U.S. range from 200 million to 350 million, with at least 4 million more added annually. So every gun that’s removed from circulation tilts the odds in law enforcement’s favor, even if only slightly.
In this economy, anyone who has a gun and doesn’t intend to use it might as well sell it like a piece of scrap for some scratch.
The fact that the program is funded through criminal forfeiture dollars adds a symbolic twist that also makes the approach more than sensible.
And even though the gun holder may be entirely innocent of any crime, the information about the gun itself goes into a data bank that can help investigators zero in in on the real traffickers.
Some people might be intimidated walking into a police station. Having them come to a church should ease any fears.
Crime has continued to drop, and our prison population -- while topping all other nations -- is on the decline, as well, reports the Pew Center for the States.
Still, there remain dangerous pockets, sketchy neighborhoods, gangs and drugs. When managed properly, drug courts have proven themselves extremely effective. But like DARE, critics say gun buy-backs have no clear effect on the numbers. Most of those who show up, they complain, are dealers trying to unload useless weapons that don’t even fire.
Think that’s going to stop law enforcement officials, responsible for the public’s safety, from trying everything they can to make the street’s safer?
Nope.
In every pile of junk are fully operational guns that someone snatched from a closet or beneath a mattress and turned in, removing a clear and present danger. However, if all the organizers see are gorgeous antique collectibles, they will know that they’ve merely gathered props for a photo opportunity.
Therein lies the beauty of a program run entirely with money taken from criminals: You can experiment, and if something works, you can stick with it.
Organizers in several areas have pulled in significant numbers of weapons, including last year’s 659 in Brooklyn. Nassau County recently netted nearly 200, while Jersey City’s Operation Lifesaver pulled in 897 weapons. A daylong effort in Los Angeles produced 2,511 firearms citywide, in exchange for gift certificates.
And Chicago reported more than 4,000 guns and two hand grenades -- also collected in a single day; more than 1,300 turned up in the first half hour.
Not a single one of all those surrendered guns will be stolen and then used to rob, harm or maybe even kill someone. They’ll be melted down instead.
"As a father and local resident, it gives me peace of mind to know I've done all I can to ensure the safety of our neighborhoods," McGuire said.
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