Atlantic County buyback yields more than 2,000 weapons

Fourteen assault weapons and more than 1,000 handguns were among the weapons collected during a two-day gun buyback program staged over the weekend in southern New Jersey.

State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa announced Monday that 2,061 weapons were collected overall in the Atlantic County program, which was staged at churches in Atlantic City and Pleasantville.The weapons turned in ranged from BB guns to assault rifles and also included some illegal weapons.

Chiesa says that many residents who took part in the program expressed concern about gun violence in their communities and stated a desire to help rid their neighborhoods of deadly firearms.

The event was the fifth gun buyback program that the state has staged since last December. Overall, authorities have collected 9,153 firearms through the programs.