Nassau County officials: Over 360 weapons collected in gun buyback

Nassau County authorities collected 367 weapons in exchange for $67,800 during a gun buyback Saturday in Uniondale that had one of the largest turnouts in the last 11 years, officials said.

Police and district attorney officials used asset forfeiture funds to pay residents who lined up at Grace Cathedral to anonymously exchange their operable guns for cash.

Officials lined up a table full of semiautomatic assault-style weapons, pistols and rifles that were turned in Saturday, which police will eventually destroy..

“You can’t deny taking this many guns off the street are helping us,” Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said, holding a folded assault rifle.

Residents received $100 for rifles, $200 for pistols and $400 for assault rifles. Weapons turned in also included a sawed-off shotgun and a TEC-9 semiautomatic pistol, along with several illegal high capacity magazines.

Nassau detectives examined each gun to see if it was operable, and then made payments with no questions asked.

First Deputy Commissioner Kevin Smith said each weapon that still has a serial number will be checked  to see if has been used to commit any crimes but will otherwise be destroyed.

“If they fall into the wrong hands, there could be some sort of catastrophe,” Smith said.

Nassau County Executive Laura Curran touted the county’s 30 percent drop in crime.

“Every gun here represents a life saved in our communities and for our police,” Curran said.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.