HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – In a continued effort to keep the community safe, on Saturday, September 12, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office hosted the “Drive & Drop Gun Swap,” a gun buyback event allowing citizens to dispose of unwanted firearms in exchange for cash.
Deputies collected guns at two locations, the Falkenburg Road Jail and the Hillsborough County West Service Unit, located on Sheldon Road in Tampa. Between the sites, a total of 681 firearms were voluntarily dropped off in exchange for $50. Six of the guns collected were found to be stolen firearms. Deputies will work to return them to their rightful owners. The remainder of the guns will be safely disposed of and later melted down and recycled into rebar.
“With each weapon taken off the streets, we eliminate the risk of it getting into the wrong hands, whether it be that of a child or a criminal. I am proud to say these hundreds of unwanted firearms have added to the more than 3,600 unwanted firearms we have collected through our gun buyback events in recent years,” said Sheriff Chad Chronister.
The money given to gun owners at the “Drive & Drop Gun Swap” was provided by the Law Enforcement Trust Fund (LETF). The LETF was established to allow law enforcement agencies in Florida to seize and forfeit any contraband that has been used in the commissions of felonies. The proceeds can then be used by the law enforcement agency for community programs like crime prevention and drug abuse education.
“There is a great responsibility that comes with gun ownership, and I’m glad we were able to provide a convenient and safe way to dispose of any unwanted firearm for the hundreds of people that stopped at our sites today. The best part, the event comes at no cost to the hardworking taxpayers of Hillsborough County,” added Sheriff Chronister.