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The annual Ulster County program -- held Saturday, April 29 in Kingston -- sponsored by New York Attorney General Letitia James, the Kingston Police Department, and the Ulster County Sheriff’s Office is the largest gun buyback hosted in the region, the AG's Office said.
Including the guns turned in at the Kingston event, James said more than 3,000 guns from across the state were gathered on Saturday. To date, James has removed more than 7,000 guns from New York communities since taking office in 2019, the AG's Office said.
“Gun violence has caused so many avoidable tragedies and robbed us of so many innocent New Yorkers,” said James. "Every gun that we removed out of Kingston homes and off the streets is a potential tragedy averted and another step in protecting communities throughout New York state.”
Included in the 3,000 guns were 185 assault rifles, 1,656 handguns, and 823 long guns. These figures include the 235 guns collected from the Kingston event, which included 15 assault rifles, 120 handguns, and 60 long guns.
"I want to thank the Attorney General, the City of Kingston Police Department, and our community leaders in their effort to get guns off the streets,” said Ulster County Sheriff Juan Figueroa. “Gun buyback programs are paired with gun safety in an effort to reduce the illegal use of guns.”
Kingston Police Chief Egidio Tinti echoed that sentiment: “As police officers, we see firsthand the impact that programs like the Gun Buyback can have locally in crime reduction," he said.
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