Sheriff takes guns and pills off the street

Historic City News reporters traveled to Town Center in Palm Coast this morning to check in on Sheriff Don Fleming as Flagler County citizens took advantage of a program to collect unwanted firearms and prescription pills — with no questions asked.

During the four-hour event, that ran from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., residents were able to turn in up to three operational firearms; and, in return, they received gifts cards for each one. Fleming reported that 71 guns were turned in along with 20 pounds of unwanted prescription pills.

“We received some good feedback from those who came here today,” Sheriff Fleming said. “Our residents appreciated the opportunity to get rid of these firearms in a safe and controlled environment.”

This was the first time a gun buyback has been offered locally and Fleming said he was pleased with the community’s response. “This is something we will look at repeating in the future.”

Captain Lynne Catoggio organized the buyback using a $7,000 grant awarded by the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. All the firearms were checked against crime databases — none had been reported stolen, according to Catoggio.

“We really worked to combine two events that would benefit a wide range of residents,” Captain Catoggio said. “I believe we have accomplished our objective to get unwanted guns and prescription drugs out of homes and off the street.”