Bronx Gun Buyback Program Is A Win-Win
By MEREDITH TRAINA | wpix.com

8:15 p.m. EST, January 23, 2010
BRONX, N.Y. (WPIX)—
Four Bronx churches held the borough's second annual gun buyback program Saturday, in an effort to get illegal handguns and other weapons off the streets.

Those who brought in a weapon received a $200 pre-paid cash card for each eligible weapon, no questions asked.

"Though Bronxites can celebrate that the overall crime rate in our borough is down from last year, there are still too many shootings in our borough," said Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr. "We have to work harder to bring peace to the neighborhoods of the Bronx, and taking illegal guns off of our streets and out of our communities is one of the best ways to do it."

There was no limit on how many guns people could turn in, however participants were only paid a maximum sum of $600 for three guns.

Nearly 1,000 guns were turned into Bronx churches during the first gun buyback last April.

This year, officials estimate 1,216 guns were taken off the streets