Guns collected at a buyback event in Camden, N.J., in December 2012. (Office of the Attorney General)
MYFOXNY.COM/AP -
State and county officials say that 700 of the 2,600 weapons collected during a two-day gun buyback in Trenton were illegal.
Among the weapons turned in was a shoulder-fired rocket launcher, several semi-automatic weapons and sawed-off shotguns.
New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa also said Tuesday that more than 90 percent of all the weapons purchased in the state's second gun backback were operable.
"I'm not here today suggesting buybacks are the singular answer," Chiesa said during a press conference. "However, there's no question that buybacks are part of the solution, and we believe that they're making a difference in New Jersey as evidenced by the 700 illegal firearms collected in this buyback."
He said about $324,000 was given out in the guns-for-cash program -- nearly $100,000 of that amount in vouchers because they ran out of cash.
Among other weapons, the Mercer buyback brought in more than 100 sawed-off shotguns, nearly 1,000 handguns, four Tech-9 semi-automatic pistols, two Hi-Point semi-automatic assault rifles like those used in the Columbine shootings, a shotgun disguised as a nightstick, an antique Uzi, two Thompson submachine guns, an Egyptian fully-automatic assault rifle, a World War II vintage Luger pistol, at least three M-1 carbine rifles, a 12-gauge shotgun with a "streetsweeper" drum cartridge capable of holding 12 rounds of ammunition, a shoulder-firing rocket launcher and a tear-gas/riot gun.
Chiesa said there are plans for another gun purchase program but he does not yet know when or where it will be held.
Wednesday, June 19 2013 6:13 PM EDT2013-06-19 22:13:15 GMT
More than 70 percent of New Jersey residents have seen or heard the state's "Stronger than the Storm" advertising campaign, according to a new Rutgers-Eagleton poll.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 3:38 PM EDT2013-06-19 19:38:42 GMT
By MATT ALVAREZ NEW JERSEY (MYFOXNY) -- Nearly eight months later after Superstorm Sandy, many Jersey Shore families are still displaced from their homes. The storm destroyed Pam Vasquez's family home
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 1:46 PM EDT2013-06-19 17:46:33 GMT
June 19 is National Dine Out Day. Restaurants and vendors across the country are contributing a percentage of their revenues for the day to the NJ Relief Fund to benefit Superstorm Sandy victims.
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Wednesday, June 19 2013 12:46 PM EDT2013-06-19 16:46:33 GMT
One bird may have been responsible for several hundred Hoboken residents losing power.
One bird may have been responsible for several hundred Hoboken residents losing power. A spokeswoman for Public Service Electric & Gas says the bird touched a transformer on Clinton Street near Columbus Park Wednesday morning.
Monday, June 17 2013 6:26 PM EDT2013-06-17 22:26:45 GMT
A man aboard a United Airlines flight bound for Newark Liberty International Airport claimed his fellow passengers on the plane had been poisoned and was screaming about going to die.
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Guns collected at a buyback event in Camden, N.J., in December 2012. (Office of the Attorney General)
