From the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office:
Morris County Prosecutor Robert J. Carroll, Morris County Sheriff James Gannon, Chief of Detectives Christoph K. Kimker, Mount Olive Police Chief Stephen Beecher, Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Chief Richard Pantina, the Morris County Board of Commissioners, John Sette representing the Morris County CrimeStoppers, and Acting Attorney General Matthew Platkin, announce the success of the recent Morris County Gun Buy Back program, which resulted in the successful surrender of 674 firearms.
examines “ghost gun” parts
from the Gun Buy Back with
New Jersey ATF Special Agent
in Charge, Jeffery Matthews.
A total of $104,675 is being paid out through funding for the program by the Morris County Crime Stoppers, New Jersey Attorney General’s Office, Morris County Commissioners (County ARPA Funds), and the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office Forfeiture Funds (CLETA).
The Morris County Gun Buy Back program was held on Saturday, May 14, and Sunday, May 15, 2022, at the following locations:
Saturday: Budd Lake Fire Department, 378 Route 46, Budd Lake, N.J.
Sunday: Parsippany Police Athletic League (PAL) Building, 33 Baldwin Road, Parsippany, N.J.
New Jersey residents were invited to turn in firearms with “no questions asked,” with payouts made on a first come, first serve basis.
Participating citizens shared that they were grateful for the opportunity to surrender firearms they had laying idle in their homes, as they had inherited the weapons or not used them in years. They expressed concerns about:
o Young children accessing them
o Having them stolen and possessed by criminals
o Safeguarding loved ones struggling with mental health issues including suicidal ideations o Keeping them out of the hands of those seeking to do harm to others
Morris County law enforcement thanks the participants for helping to remove idle firearms from circulation, a big step in helping prevent tragedies and opportunities for violent crime. The message is strongly felt as May is Mental Health Awareness Month.
Here are some of the anecdotes participants shared with program organizers:
“I have very sick relative in the house and I was so scared they would try to use this gun when no one was around, thank you for easing my mind when I come home each day.”
“I would just like to turn these in, I do not want any money. Just wanted to make sure these were turned in safely and would not fall into the wrong hands.”
“These guns were in my basement when I moved in, I have no idea whose they were and was always afraid someone would steal them.”
“After seeing the news from New York State last night, I decided to bring my families old guns in today in hopes of preventing anymore tragedies.”
Among the surrendered items were a two “ghost gun” assembly kits.
These kits, including an assembly jig, have presented law enforcement with a new challenge of “homemade” handguns, which are untraceable and as deadly as a manufactured firearm.
Several assault weapons were also surrendered as well as hundreds of fully operable rifles, shotguns and handguns.
The last time a Gun Buy Back program was held in Morris County was in 2013, where 600 weapons were surrendered.
Director of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners Tayfun Selen said, “On behalf of the Morris County Board of County Commissioners, we commend the Prosecutor’s Office and the Sheriff’s Office for launching this program and preventing several hundred unwanted, yet functioning firearms from potentially landing on our streets. The two-day program was a complete success, and the board is proud to have played a part in this important public safety effort.”
Sheriff Gannon said, “Public safety and the security of our residents is of the utmost importance to me and the officers of the Morris County Sheriff’s Office. The collaborative efforts of this program have increased the level of both by providing an avenue of disposal for unwanted firearms.”
“Prosecutor Carroll and I noticed that most of the folks turning in weapons were doing so because they obtained them and were not personally comfortable owning or handling them themselves. From a community care perspective, it’s wise and necessary to safeguard firearms that you have come to possess until you gain that handling expertise. If you don’t intend to keep the guns, then the buy-back offers one way to assure that responsible care.”
Prosecutor Carroll said, “we are extremely pleased with the results of this program and thank our funding partners for their support. Nationally and regionally, we are seeing a significant rise in gun-related violence, most recently the tragic attack in Buffalo N.Y. Equally of concern is the uptick in suicides and domestic violence incidents that involve weapons.
“Any program that can remove unwanted firearms from such situations removes a violent and often emotional alternative and can preserve, rather than endanger, citizen lives. I commend the dedicated members of the MCPO, the MCSO and our County Police Chiefs and their police departments for their cooperative efforts in planning and executing this successful program.
“The Sheriff and I assure our residents that we will continue our aggressive efforts to protect our citizens from gun violence. I especially commend Sgt. Keisha Higgs for coordinating this multi-faceted program.”
For a full photo gallery, follow this link.
Payout schedule for surrendered firearms:
| Assault Firearms | $300 |
| All Handguns | $200 |
| Rifles/Shotguns | $150 |
| Inoperable Firearms | $25 |
| BB Guns | No Cash Value |
The program resulted in the successful surrender of 674 weapons and participants will be reimbursed $104,675. A total of $100,025 was paid out in cash and IOU’s issued for $4,650, the value of 26 firearms.
Morris County’s May 2022 tally reflects a higher collection rate than was experienced in Bergen, Camden, Cumberland, Mercer, Middlesex/Somerset, Monmouth, Salem, and Union counties during a similar Buy Back event held on October 23, 2021.
Mount Olive – Budd Lake Fire Department
- $54,275 paid out
Firearm Type Number Collected Assault Weapons 3 Rifle/Shotgun 184 All Handguns 140 Inoperable Firearms 9 BB Guns 26 Total 362 Parsippany – PAL Building
- $45,750 paid out
| Firearm Type | Number Collected |
| Assault Weapons | 3 |
| Rifle/Shotgun | 125 |
| All Handguns | 161 |
| Inoperable Firearms | 3 |
| BB Guns | 20 |
| Total | 312 |
The Morris County Prosecutor’s Office thanks the following partners and agencies for their help in making this program a success:
- Acting New Jersey Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin
- Morris County Sheriff’s Office
- Morris County CrimeStoppers
- Morris County Board of Commissioners
- Mount Olive Police Department
- Parsippany-Troy Hills Police Department
You are always a breath of fresh air Jeff. Keep fighting the good fight.
There are over 300 MILLION guns in this country, and in sheer numbers, buybacks are a joke, This is a feel-good exercise that enables people to get paid for guns they no longer want or need. Gang members and other criminals will always have the same access to guns.
My father owned a rifle which he safeguarded by keeping it in a locked wooden box hidden under his bed One day he returned home to find he had been robbed. The only thing missing was his rifle. He never felt safe in his home again.
I commend these organizations for conducting this public service and am happy that it was successful. It does make me wonder why, when I asked the Morris County Commissioners a few years ago, for a Proclamation declaring June Gun Violence Awareness month, it was denied outright with no explanation. Two-thirds of gun deaths are suicides, children die uncessessarily every year due to poorly stored guns in the house. It would be nice to simply recognize that this is a big problem in the U.S. by issuing a proclamation.