A month-long gun amnesty, which will allow residents to surrender their unwanted guns and ammunition, is the first such initiative in recent memory, says Guelph Police.
For the entire month of April, the Guelph Police Service is participating in a province-wide instigative offering residents the opportunity to voluntarily surrender unwanted or illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories or ammunition.
Many such weapons are inherited, said Insp. Cate Welsh of the Guelph Police Service.
“Sometime people have them handed down to them. That’s generally what we see,” said Welsh. “It just gets left around and people don’t know what to do about it.”
It would be a tragedy, said Welsh, if there was an accidental discharge of the weapon in the home or if it was stolen and used in a criminal offence.
“We’re trying to stop those things from happening,” said Welsh. “One less gun on the street is good for all of us.”
Residents who wish to surrender a weapon or ammunition are asked to call the Guelph Police non-emergency line at 519-824-1212 to arrange for an officer to attend and safely retrieve the weapon.
Under no circumstance should anyone deliver guns or ammunition directly to police facilities, said Welsh.
“We will be sending an officer there to make it safe, because if you have inherited a firearm that you haven’t used or you don’t know anything about it — we would hate to see an accidental discharge,” said Welsh.
“When the officers come, they are trained first and foremost to make the weapon safe,” she added.
People have shown up at police headquarters in the past, which Welsh said was done with the best of intentions.
“We have had people do that in the past without realizing what they are doing is itself an offence — transporting it in a car.,” she said.
During the amnesty, Guelph Police will not recommend weapons-related charges that might otherwise apply to people in possession of such items.
One exception, said Welsh, are weapons that have been used in the commission of a criminal offence and no anonymous submissions will be accepted.
Most, if not all of the weapons will be destroyed, said Welsh.
“It’s a proactive community safety initiative. It gives people a safe and easy way to surrender unwanted firearms and ammunition,” she said.
