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SOUTH BRUNSWICK: Town starts gun surrender program

By Charles W. Kim, Managing Editor
   Township police announced the start of Project Safe Surrender this week allowing residents to surrender unwanted guns to the agency without the fear of being charged with a crime.
   ”We have always accepted firearms that residents wanted to surrender,” Chief of Police Raymond Hayducka said in a press release Tuesday. “This project is to let all the public know how they can safely turn in unwanted firearms.”
   A handful of weapons were turned in last year, according to police, with many coming in as a result of a parent or relative dying and those that inherited the weapon, surrendering it to the agency.
   Former Township Councilman John O’Sullivan brought the issue up during the last two council meetings, asking if the community, on its own, could implement such a voluntary program.
   In the past, the town has participated in programs with the Middlesex County Prosecutor’s Office that bought back the weapons.
   This program, however, would not be a buy back situation and would not cost the township any money to implement, according to Mr. O’Sullivan.
   Mr. O’Sullivan said he was pleased with the decision to begin the program in the wake of several recent shooting incidents in the nation including the killing of 20 first grade students and six adults in Newtown, Connecticut on Dec. 14.
   ”This will provide for the health, safety and welfare of the town,” Mr. O’Sullivan said.
   Chief Hayducka announced the new initiative in a press release Tuesday, providing the guidelines on how residents could surrender weapons.
   According to the release, residents can call the evidence officer of the department at 732-329-4000, extension 7447 and arrange for a time to drop the weapon off and provide the resident with instructions on how to surrender the weapon.
   The program follows state statutes on surrendering weapons, according to police.
   According to the statute, “No person shall be convicted of an offense under this chapter for possessing any firearms, weapons, destructive devices, silencers or explosives, if after giving written notice of his intention to do so, including the proposed date and time of surrender, he voluntarily surrendered the weapon, device, instrument or substance in question to the superintendent or to the chief of police in the municipality in which he resides, provided that the required notice is received by the superintendent or chief of police before any charges have been made or complaints filed against such person for the unlawful possession of the weapon, device, instrument or substance in question and before any investigation has been commenced by any law enforcement agency concerning the unlawful possession. Nothing in this section shall be construed as granting immunity from prosecution for any crime or offense except that of the unlawful possession of such weapons, devices, instruments or substances surrendered as herein provided.”