TAMPA, Fla. - Former city council candidate Elvis Piggott appeared in court on Friday after Tampa police filed a risk protection order against him — a legal action intended to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a threat to themselves or others.

The petition alleges Piggott may be seriously mentally ill or have recurring mental health issues.

A judge confirmed on Friday morning that Piggott turned in his guns.

"I’m not killing myself. I’m not a threat to myself," Piggott said in a more than hour-long video responding to the petition’s claims. "I have carried my firearm for a very long time."

Piggott also called the risk protection order an attempt to "silence" him and "political assassination" by Tampa Mayor Jane Castor. He says he plans to fight back and is solicit

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