Any amount of guns that are off the street and out of the hands of criminals is a good thing. But gun buybacks are just one part of the solution. There needs to be three-pronged approach: putting better gun laws on the books, enforcing those laws and holding community efforts such as these.

The NYPD says it collected more than 500 firearms during a gun buyback event in Queens this past weekend. At a news conference announcing the program’s results, Police Commissioner Ray Kelly said Saturday’s event at the New Jerusalem Baptists Church was “without a doubt one of our most successful.” He said the collection of guns included 245 revolvers, 168 semi-automatic pistols, 35 rifles and 26 shotguns. People are able to trade in legal or illegal guns for a $200 bank card, no questions asked. There is no limit to the number of guns participants can surrender, but they will only be paid for three.

Commissioner Kelly says since the program’s inception in 2008, the NYPD has collected more than 8,000 guns, and has spent about $1.4 million to hold the events. He says so far this year, “we are on pace for the lowest number of homicides since John F. Kennedy was president…” But, he says, the police department is going to continue its push to get guns off the streets. This push comes as a teenager awaits arraignment on attempted murder charges for allegedly shooting a livery cab driver in the head Saturday morning. The Police Commissioner says this incident is yet another example of how every shooting is one too many. What do you say?

What’s your reaction to the shooting of a livery cab driver? Do you think buyback events are successful in getting guns off City streets? Are they a good alternative to the NYPD’s Stop, Question and Frisk procedures? Are these programs money well spent?

Send us your thoughts using the link above.

I'm opposed to this disarming of America tactic. It is taking guns out of the hands of those who would use them in self-defense but leaving guns in the hands of the criminals.

I guarantee that owners of these weapons are not criminals. No criminal would show up at one of these events and turn in his gun, for one reason he or she would be afraid of being found out and arrested.

Don't think for a minute that this is an anonymous gesture on behalf of the gun owner. When these "gift cards" are cashed in, the police know exactly who the gun belonged to. It's just like the Crime Stoppers line. Contrary to what the police say, calls to that line are not anonymous.

The origin of any call to that toll free number or to 311 or to 911 is known to the police and is added to the call record along with your name, your telephone number and the location from which you are calling. All of this is also displayed on the terminals in the call center where your call is received. If you're calling from a cell phone, GPS can be used to track you down.

Joe
Port Richmond

I bet that some of the individuals that gave up s gun at the buyback still had other
guns at home or hidden some other place. Guns are like a bedbug infestation...while
you kill some of the bedbugs others are already being born. As a society we are a day late and a dollar short when it comes to the guns in this country. Why is it that some people have tons of guns in their houses and never create crimes and other people only obtain guns dreaming of the next person that they can harm?

It is not just the guns...the guns don't shoot people...people shoot people.

Kathy
Throggs Neck

Interesting program, it's frightening how many illegal weapons are out there, and in the hands of the wrong people. But our politicians, and lobbyists can be blamed, in league with gun manufacturers. I'm drawn to this, since our family accident ....

The buyback program is laughable. Do we really think that a hardened criminal will give up a gun for a gift card? This is just the tip of a very deep iceberg.

Steve
Forest Hills

I wonder if the NYPD are screening the guns they buy back for previous crimes that may have been commited?

Gabby
The Bronx

The gun buy back I'm for it the stop & frisks I'm for it if you include all races in with it, the shooters in Colorado, Wisconsin, etc are proof that belonging to a specific racial or ethnic group (black & Hispanic) does not mean you're more prone to commit gun violence the statistics on stop and frisks here in the city speak for themselves on there effectiveness.

Possesion of any illegal weapon, 10 years minimum. No pleas and no deals, period! The problem would stop the next day! But! Nobody in authority, really wants to kill a multibillion dollar system that keeps so many people employed!

It is great that they have taken 500 guns from off the streets. The next steps need to be:

1) checking the serial numbers to verify provenance. If they are from a few gun dealers, then ATF can crack down on those sellers, and identify the buyers who then sold them on our streets.

2). Run ballistics tests to determine if they were used in a crime and hopefully solve open cases.

This is a huge underground business and the ATF needs to go to the source. The original purchaser must be held accountable for the crimes committed with the guns they bought and sold illegally.

Simone
Manhattan

While well intentioned the buy back program will not stop the flow of guns on our streets.
People who have nothing to look forward to will gravitate towards any means available to make a living, albeit an illegal one. Until the basic issues of financial and educational disparity are addressed there will be guns on the streets of NYC.Stop and Frisk amounts to NYC's Jim Crow.This mayor is a hypocrite. When a regulation Questioning whether women should be asked if they were prostitutes or not, the mayor stated that he would not like his daughters asked if they were prostitutes. If it impacts his loved ones it is not acceptable. I wish the mayor and the police commissioner could turn black for one week and suffer the abuse and indignity of stop and frisk and the see what they have to say then.

Bip

one of your callers said that the NYPD recovered more guns through stop and frisk than the buy back program. I'm not sure about that, but even if it were true, the NYPD stopped 700,000 men and boys of color in one year! it's not worth the violation of the rights of that many people to get 1000 guns. that's a terrible percentage. how many people should they stop? a million, 2 million? how many guns would come out of that? it's not worth it, wait until they stop you. it's a slippery slope.

I wanna know if NYC is the only municipality buying back guns in New York State.

Jimmy
Woodside

The program does nothing to stop crime, it does prevent guns that people no longer need or have inherited from falling into wring hands but to prevent crime, law abiding citizens should have carry permits. Criminals will think twice if there is a chance their mark might be armed.

Why are the NYPD top Brass so obsessed with photo ops? Grow up! Stop worrying about who gets the glory and get the job done!