Seventy firearms were recently seized from a Philadelphia home when officials from the Sheriff’s Office served a Protection From Abuse order.
On Friday, Sheriff Jewell Williams showed off the massive haul.
“We are a 24/7 operation,” Williams said. “We protect the community by taking these weapons off the street.”
Athough the weapons were seized from just one person, a spokesman said the guns represent only a fraction of what the Sheriff’s Office is responsible for confiscating.
Women Against Abuse Police Liaison Mike Gallagher joined Williams on Friday as officials unveiled the weapons.
“I want to thank the Sheriff and the Sheriff’s Office for being great allies in getting guns off the street from dangerous offenders in Philadelphia,” Gallagher said.
Act. 79, Pennsylvania House Bill 2060, recently went into effect, changing the rules governing the surrender of firearms and other weapons by people served with Protection from Abuse orders. Officials say more weapons will now be surrendered to law enforcement, and the Philadelphia Sheriff’s Office is the primary custodian of weapons surrendered or seized.
Inventoried weapons are secured by the Sheriff’s Office and may be returned to the owner following a court order authorizing the individual to retrieve their firearms, according to a spokesman.
