Lockport holds first gun buyback

LOCKPORT, N.Y. (WIVB) - Over 200 people attended Lockport's first ever gun buyback held Saturday hosted by the Lockport Police Department.

The five hour event held at the City Municipal Building gave gunowner's a chance to bring in any unwanted guns.

Gun owners received $10 for non-working guns, $50 for working rifles and shotguns, $75 for working handguns, and $100 for assault rifles.

City of Lockport Police Chief Larry Eggert said, "Every kind of gun you can imagine. Old guns, an 1860-model pistol, all the way up to modern Ruger-type handguns."

There was a wide variety of guns including top notch guns, to cheap ones including small caliber semiautomatic weapons.

Over 100 free gun locks were distributed and approximately 5,000 live rounds of ammunition were collected.

City of Lockport Mayor Mike Tucker who attended the buyback said, "I think it happens quite often. Someone walks in with a gun, you're on the other side of that gun and you don't know if it's working or not. So it does what it's intended to do."

Lockport Police had officers stationed outside to prevent any illegal transaction from happening. A company has offered to melt down the weapons for police, who will then sell the scrap metal.

Officials say the people selling the guns weren't those who would use them illegally, but rather people who didn't want their guns to fall into the wrong hands.