The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office initiative to get guns off the street, “Operation Gun Swap,” will begin Saturday at 9 a. m. and end at 2 p. m.
Anyone who wants to exchange a firearm for cash and a Tampa Bay “Fan Pack,” will have a choice of 5 locations. Those locations are:
Sheriff’s Operations Center, 2003 East 8th Avenue.
13501 North Nebraska Avenue (site of closed Sunoco Gas Station).
IGA Grocery Store, 14720 East Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Boulevard.
Sheriff’s Town ‘N Country Substation, 7519 West Waters.
Sheriff’s Progress Village Substation, 7935 Flower Avenue.
The rules of the gun swap are:
Any firearm will be accepted
Each firearm will earn you $75 and a Tampa Bay Fan Pack with ticket vouchers for a Lightning and Rays game
Firearms must arrive unloaded
Transport in your vehicle’s trunk, or place securely in a box or bag
Do not remove firearms from your vehicle. A deputy will take possession of the firearm upon your arrival at the collection location
Unwanted ammunition will be accepted but cannot be exchanged for cash
No BB Guns, pellet guns or paint ball guns (but will be accepted for destruction)
All firearms and ammunition collected will be destroyed.
Spokesperson, Capt. Chad Chronister, said it’s normal to see if any weapon turned in has been used in an offense.
“It may be stolen, and in that case it can be returned to its owner. There are a lot of benefits to collecting he guns, and we want people to understand they do this anonymously.
“Contrary to popular belief, this isn’t a crime reduction method, because we don’t expect criminals to arrive and turn in their weapons.”
Capt. Chronister said they expect the Gun Swap to be an overwhelming success, and they believe there are people out there who just don’t want to have anything to do with guns.
“Although this isn’t crime reduction related, we still understand gun violence is rising, and removing guns that aren’t wanted can play a role in reducing that violence.
“We’ve received calls from people who had guns left to them in wills or by dead relatives, and they don’t want them. One man said a relative had left him 44 guns, and he didn’t want any of them.”
Capt. Chronister said when a surrendered weapon is found to have played a role in an ongoing investigation, it’s a plus for the detectives.
“What we discover will have no bearing on the person turning the gun in, because the way the system is set up, no one has to identify themselves, or show any identification.”
Pictured: On January 14th, detectives concluded a month-long investigation when they raided a consignment store across the street from Gibsonton Elementary School, and recovered these weapons.
