ECSO Gun Crimes Unit: 42 Arrests, 57 Firearms Seized This Year

September 30, 2021

The Escambia  County Sheriff’s Office is highlighting the successes of their enhanced Gun Crimes Unit.

Through September, the ECSO Gun Crimes Unit has arrested 42 suspects on charges including possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, felony weapons charges, felony drug charges and felony traffic charges. The unit has seized 57 firearms, nine of which were stolen, from those arrested.

“Each one of these seized guns could result in the loss of life. I’m proud of the unit for its effectiveness in such a dangerous endeavor,” Sheriff Chip Simmons said.

Simmons said he created the current unit to not only arrest suspects breaking felony gun crime laws, but also to take stolen guns off  the streets and out of the hands of criminals.

Comments

12 Responses to “ECSO Gun Crimes Unit: 42 Arrests, 57 Firearms Seized This Year”

  1. Gun Hater on October 1st, 2021 1:47 pm

    Good Job! Now. Take those weapons and melt them down for scrap metal…

  2. Kane on October 1st, 2021 12:58 pm

    However I firmly believe that any firearm that is stolen from a vehicle and used in the commission of a crime should carry with it a penalty for the firearm owner and that penalty should be a felony because if you leave your gun in your car unsecured and unlocked you should not be allowed to own another.

  3. NobodyInParticular on October 1st, 2021 6:19 am

    @Kane did you seriously just suggest that the cops roll around and illegally search people’s cars in their driveways, and then steal their property/charge them with a felony? What is wrong with you?

  4. Tommy G on September 30th, 2021 5:02 pm

    Well Kane, checking to see if a car unlocked could constitute criminal trespassing and search a car for a weapon is not only burglary, but if a weapon is found it’s armed burglary, Lets also add unlawful search and seizure under the 4th Amendment. Your deputies and their supervisors would be in jail along with the state/federal lawsuits and the Sheriff would be out of a job. Kane, people still have rights, this isn’t a third world country.

  5. Dave Coleson on September 30th, 2021 1:39 pm

    Many of these cases will be dropped. The rest the courts will give them a sweet heart plea deal. That’s just how soft the courts have become. They need to move all felony cases involving a gun to federal court. Then it won’t be so easy for the thugs to walk.

    Great job escambia officers. Keep up the good work and God bless.

  6. Jimbo on September 30th, 2021 12:35 pm

    40 felonies between them and not 1 job!

  7. Kane on September 30th, 2021 11:34 am

    Great job L.E.O’s!!!

    However, if you really want to get those guns out of the wrong hands before they can harm someone you’ll need to go around at night to residences checking vehicles to see if they are locked or not.

    When you discover an unlocked vehicle check for guns 9 outta 10 times you’ll find one. I bet you’ll get a couple hundred in just a your first hour easily.

    Next, charge the owner for felonious criminal negligence (if there is not such a thing any felony will do) because they obviously should not be in charge of a stick let alone a gun.

  8. Josh Jones on September 30th, 2021 8:10 am

    Good job ECSO!

    Evidently, the penalty for possession by a convicted felon is not sufficient to deter folks from scoffing at the law (F.S. 790.23). Maybe the punishment the judiciary delivers is insufficient.

  9. Paul on September 30th, 2021 7:41 am

    How did they know so many had the guns?
    Was it from them posting them on social media?
    Either way, good riddance..

  10. Elijah Bell on September 30th, 2021 7:09 am

    Hope there are 42 new members of the in jail club.

  11. Amazed on September 30th, 2021 5:55 am

    I am glad to see chip,his men and women doing thier job kudos. Kudos

  12. A Alex on September 30th, 2021 2:09 am

    Wonder how many of these are actually still in jail