Eight hours and 48 guns later, the V.I. Police Department proclaimed its recent gun buyback program on St. Thomas a success.
The program was held June 10 and 11 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the V.I. Taxi Association headquarters in Estate Contant. During that time, officers collected 22 revolvers, 17 pistols, four rifles, five shot guns and approximately 1,000 rounds of live ammunition, officials said at a press conference Tuesday.
Of the weapons turned in, 39 were illegal.
"Something like this proves that there are many unregistered firearms in the territory," said St. Thomas-St. John-Water Island District Police Chief Rodney Querrard. "And when I look at what we collected, it gives me the chills; but it also shows that an operation like we just did works, and hopefully we will be doing more in the future."
While police did not recover any of the AK-47s they were hoping for, one assault rifle was turned in, along with four Glock 40-caliber weapons, said Assistant Police Commissioner Raymond Hyndman.
Residents turning in weapons were offered "top dollar" for them, with $10,000 contributed by a donor through Sen. Shawn-Michael Malone’s office. The money was distributed by the Community Foundation of the Virgin Islands, whose president said Tuesday that of that amount, $4,600 was paid out over the weekend, while the rest will be used to fund other gun buyback programs.
"This is a lot of weapons off the street for eight hours," said CFVI president Dee Baecher-Brown. "And CFVI committed to engaging more donors so we can continue these efforts."
