Do these events really take dangerous guns off of the streets or are they just a photo opportunity for local politicians? What kind of guns are they getting and who's paying for them? Here are the numbers.

If you follow the local news you may notice that there seems to be a surge in gun violence in the cities of Newburgh and Poughkeepsie.

We often hear about a city holding gun buyback events held by local police departments. People are incentivized by local funds to bring in a gun to the event to dispose of it with no questions asked.

The City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, in conjunction with the New York State Attorney General's Office, is holding a Gun Buyback program on Saturday, December 4, 2021. You will be able to bring your unloaded guns to the Beulah Baptist Church, located at 92 Catherine Street in Poughkeepsie, 12601, from 10 am to 1 pm.

They will reportedly offer $25 for antique and non-working guns, $75 for rifles and shotguns, $150 for handguns, and $250 for assault rifles.

Just how effective are these events in making your city a safer place to live by reducing gun crime?

NYPD Offers IPads In Exchange For Turning In Guns
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According to National Review, the numbers don't show they help. These kinds of incentive programs often get unwanted or even broken guns. In fact, they claim that from numbers reported by the National Incident Based Reporting System, they don't seem to work at all. They report that these gun buyback programs don't seem to reduce gun violence by any more than 1%. They further report that these events do not reduce suicide rates either.

Though 1% is better than 0%, is it enough progress, and should efforts be out elsewhere in making the community more safe?

Some gun owners believe that these programs are dangerous as well as they may be encouraging people who don't know how to handle a gun to bring them to a public location.

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