Americans surrender record number of guns to police after Connecticut shooting
London, Dec. 20 (ANI)
Americans have handed back record number of guns to police in a US state after the mass shooting at Sandy Hook school in Newtown, Connecticut.
The haul of guns handed to the police included pistols and shotguns, a century-old firearm, a rifle used for hunting elephants and five fully automatic weapons.
About 90 percent of weapons were in working condition, and the arsenal of weapons was surrendered as part of a buyback programme.
Residents of New Jersey who hand over a firearm received 200 pounds apiece for up to three guns, the Daily Mirror reports.
The scheme brought in 1,137 guns, surpassing the previous record of 700 from an event in 2009.
"A lot of people said they don't want the guns around the house now," State Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa said.
The state had more than 80,000 pounds of weapons to hand over under the programme. All the weapons are destroyed, the report added.