Hoboken Mayor Ravi S. Bhalla and the City of Hoboken today announced that the Hoboken Police Department will host a gun buyback on June 22, pending final approval from New Jersey’s Office of the Attorney General. Residents can voluntarily surrender up to three firearms, with no questions asked, to receive as much as $350 per weapon.
The City of Hoboken will fund the program, which seeks to remove firearms from Hoboken and reduce the potential for gun violence in and around Hoboken.
The buyback event will be held at Hoboken Police Headquarters, 106 Hudson St., from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Participants will receive cash immediately following the surrender of the firearm. The amount is dependent on the type of firearm being surrendered:
BB guns are excluded from compensation.
Participants are asked to register in advance by either signing up online, picking up a form at HPD headquarters, or printing out a form. All firearms must be listed on the registration form. Registrants do not need to provide identification and can remain anonymous.
“We understand that Hoboken, compared to other cities, is not known for gun violence. But even one shooting death in our City is one too many, and if this buyback can prevent even a single instance of gun violence, it is well worth it,” said Mayor Bhalla. “I offer my sincere thanks to all law enforcement officials who took the time to review and consider this program. I would also like to thank the residents who I spoke with following Damon Murray’s tragic passing, for supporting this decision.”
“The rise in gun violence is a national epidemic but having recently lost one of our own, makes this personal for me and our Public Safety Department,” said Public Safety Director Ken Ferrante. “If we take one gun off the streets, perhaps we are protecting one family from the devastation Damon’s family is going through today.”
"On behalf of Moms Demand Action of Hudson County, we want to thank the City of Hoboken for pursuing a gun buyback program as an approach to getting both legal and illegal guns out of our City without risk of prosecution - even if only one gun is collected, that's one less gun that's on our streets, ” said Amy Faucher and Councilwoman Emily Jabbour, Co-leaders of Hudson County Moms Demand Action. “This short-term action item must be part of a broader vision for the City of Hoboken to invest in programs that meaningfully engage our youth to prevent future tragedies. Moms Demand Action looks forward to being part of this ongoing conversation."
Anyone with questions about the gun buyback can call HPD Headquarters at 201-420-2100 x 3155.
