TAMARAC. Fla. (WSVN) – A Tamarac, Florida gun owner has surrendered his rifle to the Broward Sheriff’s Office in wake of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Ben Dickmann says he took his AR-57 semi-automatic rifle, a caliber variant of the AR-15, to BSO’s Tamarac location Friday, two days after 17 people were killed in Parkland.
“This is just my opinion and probably not held by the majority of gun owners is, I don’t think that that rifle, that type of rifle, that military-style rifle has a place in public,” he said. “That rifle was designed for military combat. I’m not participating in military combat. I have no need for that.”
Dickmann surrendered the rifle to ensure it doesn’t land in the hands of the public, and posted photos to social media. His post quickly went viral.
“I have no need for this, nor does anybody else and that’s why didn’t try to sell it,” he said. “I could’ve sold it very easily, but I decided not to. I don’t need it and nobody else does either.”
Dickmann said he wanted to be a part of the solution instead of the problem.
“I am member of probably the second-most vilified demographic in the country currently (If you didn’t know, I’m a conservative leaning, gun-owning, middle-aged, financially stable white male),” he wrote on Facebook. “Maybe more like me will stand up, because I’m sorry, until my demographic gets behind this, nothing will change.”
The semi-automatic rifle is similar to the rifle used to kill 17 students and faculty members at the high school Wednesday. Dickmann said the tragedy needs to met with action and not just conversation.
“I don’t see any change happening at the government level and if I can do something to start that, maybe one little thing can do something,” Dickmann said.
Dickmann hopes his choice will inspire other gun owners to do the same.
For more information on how to surrender weapons to law enforcement, call your local police department or sheriff’s office.
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