More than 140 firearms, including six AR‑15‑style rifles, were handed over to authorities during a citywide "cash for guns" buyback this past weekend, Manhattan officials said. The Upper West Side event drew a lineup of elected leaders and law enforcement partners and offered anonymous cash payments to anyone willing to surrender a weapon.
Officials hail largest buyback of Bragg's tenure
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg called the turnout the largest gun buyback of his tenure, and elected officials publicly thanked the NYPD and community partners for helping pull in the haul, according to the office's post on X. State Senator Brad Hoylman said he was "proud to join" Bragg at the event and spotlighted the number of weapons turned in. The totals, including the six AR‑15‑style rifles, were reported by the Manhattan DA's office.
How the buyback worked
The event took place at Central Baptist Church on the Upper West Side and operated as a no‑questions‑asked exchange. Community notices said organizers would pay up to $500 per weapon, depending on the type, and that guns could be surrendered anonymously. CB2 listed the church location, hours and payment terms used by the organizers.
Part of a wider city push
Officials cast the buyback as one piece of a broader strategy that pairs enforcement with prevention. The NYPD has reported more than 2,100 guns seized citywide so far this year, a figure leaders say reflects stepped‑up enforcement and close work with prosecutors. An early June press release from the NYPD laid out the seizure totals and linked them to a drop in shooting incidents this spring.
The Manhattan DA's office has also announced new grants for youth gun‑violence prevention and scheduled a citywide buyback as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month. FundsforNGOs detailed the $300,000 investment and the planned events, which prosecutors say are meant to run alongside targeted prosecutions rather than replace them.
What research says about buybacks
Experts caution that gun buybacks are a limited tool. Research reviews have found that voluntary buyback programs rarely reduce homicides or interpersonal gun violence, though some studies suggest they may offer modest benefits for suicide prevention. Journalist's Resource notes that buybacks tend to collect older or lower‑value firearms instead of the types most commonly used in violent crimes, a gap critics regularly point to.
Even so, city leaders framed the more than 140 guns turned in on the Upper West Side as a concrete, if partial, step toward shrinking the number of weapons in circulation while prevention programs and enforcement efforts continue in tandem. Officials say they plan to keep pairing buybacks with community investment and targeted prosecutions as summer safety plans roll out.
