Kenosha Co. unveils new firearms surrender project

KENOSHA CO. (WITI) -- Kenosha County Sheriff David Beth unveiled on Tuesday afternoon, February 5th a new firearms surrender project. Officials say it's a step towards keeping guns out of the hands of subjects of domestic abuse.

The project is expected to establish the plan to make people under restraining orders surrender their weapons.

Right now, courts can order a person subject to a restraining order to turn in their guns. But there's no one to monitor or enforce that surrender.

Under the Firearms Surrender Project, the person subject to a restraining order must fill out a form listing their weapons -- and must surrender all firearms within two days. In addition, the person asking for the injunction can also fill out a form about the person's weapons. 

Here's the new part. The judge can also require a second hearing within a two-week period to check on compliance. Also, sheriff's deputies will now step in to take the weapons from the person.

"In the overall picture of making people safer, us adding a few hundred hours of work to do this is small compared to incidents like what happened up in Waukesha at the salon," said Sheriff Beth.

Sheriff Beth is referring to the Azana Salon and Spa mass shooting where an estranged husband shot and killed his wife and others before killing himself.

What happens if people still do not comply?

"But the failure to follow through on turning in weapons on a domestic violence restraining order is a felony," said Dep. District Attorney Michael Graveley.

The maximum penalty for that is ten years in prison and a $25,000 fine.