Shaken By Boy's Shooting, Junior's Owner Co-Sponsors Gun Buyback Event

BROOKLYN, NY — After hearing news that a 12-year-old boy was fatally shot sitting in a parked car with family members in Brooklyn, Alan Rosen, the third-generation owner of Junior's Restaurant, was moved to act against gun violence.

"That was the tipping point for me," said Rosen. "Enough is enough. We have to do something and do it now!"

Rosen, whose Downtown Brooklyn restaurant (known for its iconic cheesecake) has been a mainstay of the borough for more than 70 years, felt that he needed to help mitigate the increasing gun violence in the borough.

After some calls with elected officials and police he decided to co-sponsor a local gun buyback event.

"I want to do everything I can to keep my borough, my city, my restaurants and my fellow New Yorkers safe," he said. "If this gun buy-back results in even one less act of criminal gun activity, if it just saves the life of one other innocent boy or girl, it is worth it."

The event, which will be hosted at Clinton Hill's Emmanuel Baptist Church on Lafayette Street from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., offers a chance for people to exchange guns for money — no questions asked.

People who turn in assault rifles or handguns will receive a bank card loaded with $200 plus an iPad, and people who turn in rifles, shotguns or air guns will get a $25 bank card, according to organizers.

The event is co-sponsored by the New York Police Department, New York Police Foundation, and the King’s County District Attorney’s Office.