Turn In A Gun To Tampa Police And Get A Crisp $100 Bill For The Effort

TAMPA, FL — In its continuing effort to take guns off the streets of Tampa, the Tampa Police Department is hosting a gun buyback from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday at the parking lot at the southeast corner of Bird Street at Interstate 275 and at the West Tampa Community Center at 2103 N Rome Ave.

Residents will receive a $100 bill for any handgun, shotgun, rifle or assault weapon turned in, no questions asked.

Earlier this month, Tampa Police Chief Mary O'Connor launched her Safer Summer Initiative nicknamed, "The Heat is On," to combat gun violence in Tampa and get guns off the streets.

To kick off the initiative, Tampa Police completed a roundup of outstanding arrest warrants, implemented over a month, resulting in 69 arrests on charges ranging from burglary to armed robbery. To date this year, police have seized 253 guns in East Tampa alone, O’Connor said.

“This was only one step in our Safer Summer Initiative,” said Chief O’Connor. “It’s time for action. Based on the tips and calls we get from residents, the diligent work of our officers, and the feedback we have heard so far, everyone in this city is demonstrating that our combined actions make for a safer city."

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O'Connor explained the initiative to residents during a community violent crime forum June 17 in which she urged residents to break the silence and report those involved in crimes, especially crimes in which guns are used.

The initiative follows community outrage over a series of fatal shootings including the death of 14-year-old Nilexia Alexander in May. Her body was found next to a busy road, but no eyewitnesses have come forward and no one has been arrested.

In Tampa this year, there have been 25 fatal shootings.

"People in Tampa and around the country are coming together today with a simple message: There's more we can do to end gun violence,” O’Connor said. “We cannot accept this as a problem without solutions. There are things we can do, including risk protection orders, mental health counseling and intervention, and continued community engagement. Our common goal is a safer community for everyone.”

The gun buyback will be operated as a drive-thru. Participants should remain in their cars with the unloaded weapons they want to turn in placed in the trunk of the car, bed of a pickup truck or rear of an SUV.

“It takes a community to raise our children to understand that there’s responsibility behind picking up a gun,” O'Connor said.

The buyback program is being funding by two anonymous donors who have contributed $110,000.