The Orange County Sheriff’s Office is enacting a new program that allows responsible gun owners to help law enforcement combat firearm related crime.

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“For the past few years, we’ve seen that the majority of guns that are stolen are from cars that are unlocked,” Sgt. Sergio Uribe, with OCSO, said.

Criminals are continuing to take advantage of the 100% preventable crime.

OCSO reports in 2021 and 2022 nearly 350 guns were stolen from a vehicle each year.

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Now the agency is pushing for help from the community with voluntary participation in Operation Save-A-Casing. OCSO is the first agency in Florida to use this program.

The initiative asks gun owners to keep two spent shell casings in an envelope labeled with the make, model, and serial number of the gun.

If that gun is reported lost or stolen, with owner’s permission, a deputy will collect the envelope and it will be sent to the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network for testing.

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“Spent shell casings have unique markings like fingerprints,” Uribe said. “Because they’re unique we can search that data base and link it back to a gun owner or a gun.”

Deputies are recovering lost and stolen firearms on a regular basis during traffic stops and from drug dealers.

Now, they’re asking gun owners to take part in this effort to reduce violent crime involving firearms.

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“The person that is going to be held liable is the person that committed the criminal activity,” Uribe said. “It’s important that those guns are ultimately returned after the entire criminal procedure to the responsible gun owner.”

Save-A-Casing envelopes are available at OCSO’s Central Operations and at Substations 1-5.

Click here for more information on the program.

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