Lightning Strikes Out at Gun Violence

City of Tampa leaders are cheering the Lightning for more reasons than the team’s impressive run in the Stanley Cup Finals.

The Lightning Foundation has donated $50,000 to help the city launch an anonymous gun buy-back program to curb the rise in violence, the city announced Thursday.

“City and community leaders are joining hands to help stop gun violence and save lives,” the release stated. “Thanks to a generous donation from the Tampa Bay Lightning, the city will host a daylong gun buy-back event aimed at keeping deadly weapons out of the wrong hands.”

Tampa Police officers have investigated 443 gun-related crimes between the year’s start on Jan. 1 and June 1, the city noted. That’s compared to 320 gun-related crimes during the same period in 2014.

“Mayor Buckhorn and Chief Ward are pleading with parents who are concerned their child may have a firearm to use the buy-back as an opportunity to anonymously turn in guns that they find in their child’s possession,” the release said. “Adult residents who no longer have a need for their gun(s) are also encouraged to take advantage of the law enforcement gun buy-back, which will eliminate the risk of their gun(s) being stolen in the event of a residential burglary.”

The gun buy-back is set to take place at River Tower Park, 401 E. Bird St., on June 27. Between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., residents can exchange shotguns, assault rifles and handguns for $50 in cash, the city said. The program is open to anyone in Hillsborough County, no questions asked.

Those who do bring in guns are asked to make sure they are unloaded, placed inside a plastic bag and stowed safely in the trunk of their vehicles.

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