NEW ORLEANS — After a large turnout at a gun buyback event on Saturday that reached capacity early, city officials now say they may offer additional sales in the future.
However, some Orleans Parish residents said they left the event frustrated after waiting in lines wrapped around the building and not getting a chance to sell their weapons.
"They had no communication with anybody in the line and the line was supposed to go 11 to 2 for the buyback. At 11:20 they said they're out of money and they're not telling anybody anything," one resident said.
"They're giving out $500 for any gun. People are showing up with $20, $25 guns so they can go buy new guns," he added.
The event, held at New Hope Baptist Church at 1807 Reverend John Raphael, Jr. Way. apparently hit capacity before 11:30 a.m., according to a tweet from Mayor LaToya Cantrell.
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Following the large crowds, city spokesman Beau Tidwell released a statement thanking New Orleans residents for their participation.
"The scale of the turnout was in fact larger than anticipated, and we reached our capacity earlier than expected. Given the scale of the response, we may do additional events in the future— though plans have not been finalized at this time. By and large, the community responded to the event in the spirit of what we intended— getting guns off the street and making our City safer," Tidwell said.
The buyback worked like this: Participants received one payment of $500 cash was given per resident.
Residents must live in Orleans Parish and observe the following guidelines:
-You do not have to show photo ID
-You must show proof of residency
-Personal weapons accepted only, no state or department-issued guns
-Resident scan dispose of multiple firearms
-Guns must be in a bag or case
-Guns must be in working condition
Additionally, gun locks were made available at the event.