Law enforcement shares efforts to get illegal guns off streets of Marion County

MARION COUNTY, Fla. — Local, state and federal law enforcement shared their efforts Wednesday to make Marion County safer by putting dozens of suspects behind bars.

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Deputies said the focus was specifically on curbing violent crime.

Photos: Law enforcement shares efforts to get illegal guns off streets of Marion County

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Law enforcement shares efforts to get illegal guns off streets of Marion County

Law enforcement’s goal was to put away as many people illegally possessing guns as possible to get them off the streets of Marion County.

The partnership has been going on for four years. From July 2018 to this past December, they have arrested 60 people, and 49 of those are now serving time.

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U.S. State Attorney Roger Handberg said the initiative would not have worked without the team effort.

“Those defendants made a case that others have made over the course of the years, they underestimated the prosecutors and investigators who serve the people of Marion County,” Handberg said. “They underestimated our determination to bring violent criminals to justice.”

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Law enforcement officials said last year they picked up 460 guns off the street, 60 of which were stolen and five came from school campuses.

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