MyFoxPhilly.com TRENTON, N.J. (MyFoxPhilly.com) -- Following a record breaking gun buyback event in Trenton, New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chiesa said he believed the programs were part of the solution in curbing gun violence across the state.
The two-day gun buyback program netted more than 2,600 guns turned in by Mercer County residents, Chiesa said, including 700 illegally owned guns. Organizers also collected more than 100 sawed-off shotguns, nearly 1,000 handguns, four Tech-9 semi-automatic pistols, two Hi-Point semi-automatic rifles and an antique Uzi.
Organizers released the specific results during a press conference Tuesday.
The numbers from the event more than doubled the number taken in last month during a similar, state-sponsored program held in Camden.
While the Attorney General admitted gun buyback programs alone won't solve the gun violence problem, he does believe the programs are a crucial part of the overall solution.
"Over the span of just two weekends in two cities, we've taken upwards of 4,000 firearms - the vast majority of them operable -- out of circulation," Chiesa said in a statement. "And if the turnouts we've seen, and the comments we've overheard, are any indication, New Jersey citizens are squarely behind this initiative."