7/28/2013
By Ivan Pereira
The City Council and NYPD may differ on certain police issues, but they appear to be on the same page when it comes to gun buybacks.
City Council Speaker Christine Quinn joined her colleagues Sunday to announce the creation of a citywide program — conducted with the NYPD, district attorney offices and community groups — that will accept weapons in exchange for cash.
The announcement came days after Mayor Michael Bloomberg vetoed a bill that would create an NYPD inspector general, but Quinn, who is running for mayor, said that wasn’t a roadblock for coordinating the program.
“There is a place in government where people think if you can disagree on one thing, you can never agree on anything. It’s called Washington,” she joked. “And I’ll be damned before I let New York City become Washington.”
The council is expected to override Bloomberg’s veto in the next few weeks, but in the meantime, it came up with a full plan for 10 gun buybacks over the next year.
Anyone who hands in a gun to the participating vendor will receive a $200 bank card, no questions asked.
The Council and NYPD contributed $300,000 for the programs.
Exact locations and dates will be determined at a later time, and Quinn said the city will look at places with large reports of shootings and input from community groups.
