Surrendering Firearms

General Information

Leave all firearms unloaded and secured in your vehicle until instructed otherwise. Do not bring firearms into the Sheriff's Office building. This is illegal, and can cause unwanted consequences. A deputy will be happy to assist and escort you once they are ready.

All firearms must be unloaded. This means having no shell or cartridge in the chamber of the firearm or in any magazine attached to the firearm; having the cap removed from a percussion muzzle-loading firearm or having the flash pan cleaned of powder from a flint-lock muzzle-loading firearm. If you are unsure if the gun is loaded or are unsure how to unload it, please advise the person you are speaking with.

If at all possible the firearms should be in a carrying case. This means the firearms should be completely contained in gun cases made expressly for that purpose. The cases must be zipped, buckled, tied, or otherwise fastened, with no portion of the firearm exposed. Homemade cases are legal if they conform to this definition. If you do not have cases, please inform the person taking your call.

Court Ordered Surrenders

Wisconsin State Statute 813.12(4m), prohibits a person (the respondent) from possessing firearms when there is a Domestic Injunction ordered or a Harassment Injunction if it is specifically ordered. You are required to immediately surrender any firearms that you own or have in your possession to the Sheriff's Office unless the judge/court commissioner at your court hearing approves a third party to take custody of the firearms.

You can make arrangements to surrender firearms by calling the Sheriff's Office at 715-346-1400.

The Sheriff's Office will provide you with a receipt per Wisconsin State Statute 813.12(4m)2(am). This receipt is conclusive proof that the respondent owns the firearms for the purpose of returning the firearms when authorized by the court.

When the injunction expires or is vacated and you want your firearms returned, you must petition the court that issued the injunction by completing a form they provide and attaching your firearms receipt. The court will then order the Sheriff's Office to do a firearms record check. You will need to complete a Sheriff's Office Firearms Release Form that follows state and federal laws. The Sheriff's Office will then forward the results to your judge/court commissioner who will then make a decision as to whether or not your firearms will be returned to you. If ordered to return your firearms to you, we need a current phone number and address to contact you. 

All other local, state, and federal laws pertaining to firearms possession, storage, and transportation apply.

• More information about surrendering or retrieving firearms (PDF)
• Wisconsin Court System forms

Voluntary Surrender of Unwanted Firearms

Unwanted firearms can be surrendered to the Sheriff's Office during normal business hours. These items will either be retained for official use if appropriate or disposed of. Typically the State Crime Lab will accept and destroy unwanted firearms from law enforcement agencies.

Ammunition

The Sheriff's Office does not accept ammunition. Contact the Solid Waste Department for information on ammunition disposal.