VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – Virginia Beach Police have beencracking down on illegal gunsand holding criminals accountable, but one local anti-gun violence group is also doing its part to make streets safer.
Hampton Roads Black Caucus member Joel Jones says its gun buyback programs are working.
“We’ve removed firearms that could potentially end up on the streets,” he said.
Last month, the group collected about 40 firearms that Jones says could’ve otherwise ended up in the wrong hands.
These efforts are helping in the overall effort to put an end to the senseless gun violence.
Virginia Beach Police say officers at the second precinct who patrol the Oceanfront seized several guns and ammunition the other night and arrested those suspects, including a convicted felon.
“We have some firearms on the AR platform, there’s some pistols,” Jones said describing the seized guns shown in a picture VBPD tweeted out. “It’s illegal for the felons to possess these firearms.”
Police Chief Paul Neudigate spoke with News 3 a few days ago about the crackdown.
“We’re trying to take the guns out of the hands of the folks that shouldn’t have them that are not mentally stable and mature enough to have those guns,” Neudigate said.
Last month alone, Beach police said they confiscated about 50 illegal guns at the Oceanfront and made several arrests.
For this latest seizure, police said in a tweet posted May 2, the suspects were drinking and shooting the guns in public.
“Alcohol and firearms just do not mix,” said Jones. “That’s very irresponsible.”
The Hampton Roads Black Caucus is just one grassroots group working with police and making communities safer by keeping illegal guns off the streets.
The organization is planning another gun buyback event in Portsmouth next month.
