But the turnout at the turn-in isn’t the whole story. The officer in charge explains.
By Ramon Lopez
Original Air Date: July 15, 2026
Host: The Sarasota Police Department just completed a gun return program. What’s the upshot? Ramon Lopez reports.
Ramon Lopez: Last Saturday afternoon, the Sarasota Police Department hosted its 2026 Done with Gun firearms turn-in event.
The four-hour annual session was at the SPD headquarters on Adams Lane. It provided the public an opportunity to anonymously get rid of those unwanted firearms laying around.
Think of it as Goodwill for guns, except what’s provided here doesn’t get sold back to the public. All firearms collected get melted down, regardless of value.
There wasn’t a long line of pistol-packing people eager to participate in the “don’t ask, don’t tell” gun turn-in. We hear from Sarasota Police Sgt. Travis Forrester, who was in charge that day.
Sgt. Travis Forrester | Photo by Ramon Lopez
Travis Forrester: Firearms are hard, because they have value. They have monetary value. What’s somebody’s incentive to bring a gun into SPD and turn it in versus taking it to a gun shop and consigning it? It’s a small number of people, but we’ll take whatever they have with no questions asked.
RL: Only 12 weapons were passed on to police, a wide variety of items, including working handguns, rifles and shotguns, as well as starter guns and antique weaponry.
The haul varies from year to year. Last year, only three guns were donated. But in 2024, 30 were dropped off by a solo Sarasota citizen.
The Done with Gun program is different than gun buyback events, where officials offer gift cards in various amounts for different unwanted firearms. An assault-style rifle might fetch a $250 bounty. No questions asked.
It’s difficult to quantify the number of crimes prevented or the number of lives saved with every weapon collected. But the probability that a gun is used in a crime drops to zero when it gets donated or bought back.
The 2026 Done with Gun haul | Photo by Ramon Lopez
One questions whether Done with Gun drives are worthwhile. This, considering the small number of weapons that change hands.
Cops and gun control advocates both back the Done with Gun program. Sgt. Forrester considered the exercise a success.
TF: Any time you take a firearm off the street, it’s a benefit for us as law enforcement and for the community.
RL: Carol Rescigno heads the local chapter of Brady United Against Gun Violence. She told WSLR News, “the public needs to understand that the Done with Gun program is only one component of an overall strategy for gun violence prevention. But it provides a perfect opportunity to get rid of an unwanted weapon.” She admits the gun drive doesn’t collect many firearms, but they do generate public awareness, and that’s good.
Sgt Forrester said gun safety is paramount when his crew handles provided pistols. On this day, a semi-auto handgun came in without its ammo clip. But there was a bullet in the chamber ready to be fired.
An officer carefully ejected the round before registering the handgun on his laptop to start down the road to its destined demise.
This is Ramon Lopez for WSLR News at SPD Headquarters.
WSLR News aims to keep the local community informed with our 1/2 hour local news show, quarterly newspaper and social media feeds. The local news broadcast airs on Wednesdays and Fridays at 6pm.