LA gun buyback event yields rocket launchers

LOS ANGELES: When Los Angeles police moved up their annual Citywide Gun Buyback program to this week, they collected an arsenal that included 75 assault weapons, 698 rifles, 363 shotguns, 901 handguns and — more surprisingly — two rocket launchers.

The weapons, essentially long metal tubes once capable of firing rockets, lacked the projectiles and parts needed to fire them, but even so had no place on the streets, police said.

"Those are weapons of war, weapons of death," said LAPD Chief Charlie Beck, according to the Los Angeles Times. "These are not hunting guns. These are not target guns. ... they have no place in our great city."

LAPD was planning to check with the military to determine the origins of the launchers, police said.

As it turns out, these were not the first launchers to turn up at a gun buyback. Last May, when the event was timed for Mother's Day, one of these large firearms surfaced in Los Angeles.

This year, the total number of weapons turned in was 400 more than last year, despite the event being moved forward by several months in response to the recent mass shootings at Newtown, Conn., Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa said, speaking on Thursday.