When it comes to gun violence, when do we say, “Enough is enough??” When a person changing their tire is hit by a stray bullet? Or when a teenager is shot and killed walking home from school? How about when a decorated law enforcement officer is viciously gunned down in a drugstore parking lot? The time has come to say, “Enough is enough”!
We at the Broward Sheriff’s Office take illegal ownership of guns and gun violence very seriously and it is our goal to curb this problem. In an effort to make this goal a reality, in 2009 BSO assigned six detectives from the Broward Sheriff’s Office to form a Gun Squad. The squad focused on tackling a very serious problem in Broward County – gun violence. The purpose of the Gun Squad is extremely important: stop illegal ownership of guns, seize dangerous weapons and secure our streets. While the task may have seemed impossible to some, public safety is the number one priority of government and BSO was determined to combat and raise awareness to this important initiative.
This initiative was enacted with the sole purpose of targeting people who have obtained illegal firearms and the traffickers who supply them. These are the people who give responsible gun owners a bad name and the criminals who are making some of our neighborhoods dangerous places to live.
With the recent shootings in a Connecticut elementary school that left twenty innocent children and six beloved adults massacred, now more than ever we must take a stand against gun violence.
Often there are family members or friends who know of someone illegally possessing a firearm, but they don’t know what to do about it. We want you to know that you can report it to us – anytime – day or night. Our Gun Stoppers program is administered by Broward County Crime Stoppers and the tip line number is 954.493.TIPS (8477). The more illegally-owned guns we get off the streets, the safer we will all be. Again, if you know of someone who is in possession of firearms illegally, call the tip line.
