ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) – On Saturday, 49 firearms were turned in to law enforcement at a gun buyback program hosted event in Albany County, in partnership with the Watervliet, Cohoes, Colonie, Green Island, and Menand’s police departments. 

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) accepts — with no questions asked — working and non-working, unloaded firearms in exchange for compensation on site

“Gun violence has long terrorized our communities and endangered the welfare of New Yorkers,” said Attorney General James. “We are taking a multipronged approach and doing everything we can to combat this crisis and keep our streets safe. 

To date, OAG has taken more than 2,500 firearms out of communities through gun buyback events and other efforts since taking office in 2019.

“Gun violence is not a single solution problem,” said Watervliet Police Chief Joseph Centanni. “I am hopeful that these events will assist in the larger effort to protect exposed populations such as children, those confronted with mental health issues, and domestic violence victims.”

Today’s community gun buyback resulted in 49 guns collected, which included 13 handguns, 22 shotguns and rifles, and 14 non-working guns.

In exchange for the firearms, OAG offered monetary compensation, in the form of prepaid gift cards, when an unloaded gun was received and secured by an officer on site.