110 Firearms Collected During Rome PD Buy Back Week

Rome, NY (WIBX) - "These are exactly the types of guns we were targeting," said Detective Commander Timothy Bates of the Rome Police Department. He's talking about the 110 firearms that police collected during the department's Gun Amnesty and Buy Back initiative, conducted last week.

Bates was referring to ..."those [guns] that were in homes that were just sitting around in the house, waiting for a potential burglar to come and steal. Ultimately, [they could] end on the street and be used against the police or members of the public," Bates said. 

Police were offering 'cash cards' to those who turned in handguns and long guns, regardless of whether or not they were still working. And, as long as the gun had not been used in a crime, police accepted them with no questions asked, Bates said.

Bates said of the 110 turned-in, 80 still work. Some were not registered with a permit he said, but none had been reported stolen or used in a crime.

Now, they'll stay in police custody until they're melted down, he said.

Bates said the cash cards that were issued, were paid for with funding from area civic organizations and the public. He said no local, state or federal tax money was used.