The Prince George RCMP want your unwanted weapons.
The local detachment is taking part in a province-wide gun amnesty for the month of June, giving residents a safe way to dispose of weapons, imitation weapons and ammunition they either don't want or aren't supposed to have.
The chief reason behind the program is safety, according to police.
"We don't expect criminals are going to be turning in their guns. That's not the point of this," said Prince George RCMP spokesperson Cpl. Craig Douglass. "But certainly we'd like to limit the guns that criminals can get their hands on."
Homes have been targeted by people looking weapons in the past, Douglass said. "So the less firearms in those residences, potentially the less that are going to end up on the street or used in a criminal offence."
During June, those looking to offload guns or other prohibited weapons such as pepper spray, nunchuks or brass knuckles are asked to contact the Prince George detachment to request that an officer come to your residence to pick them up.
Weapons are not to be brought to the police station.
Not only will it limit the unease for front counter staff and anyone else at the detachment, it will also ensure the safety for all involved.
"We'll make sure they are unloaded and properly secured when we return them to the detachment," said Douglass. He also noted that, especially if a weapon is possessed unlawfully, transporting them could pose problems if someone were to get pulled over en route to the detachment. "They could find themselves in some hot water in that way, too. So just be safe and phone us, that way the least amount of people are affected."
People voluntarily turning in weapons and ammunition will have immunity from related Criminal Code charges that would normally apply to things such as unauthorized possession of a firearm.
However, that immunity doesn't apply to weapons found to have been used for a crime.
The surrender process isn't exactly no questions asked. Information about the weapon and its owner will be collected.
"If that gun turns out, after a firearms test, to be used in a homicide we're certainly going to want to talk to that person more," Douglass said. "If it was used in a criminal offence, you're not immune to prosecution."
The last time the RCMP and municipal forces across B.C. held an amnesty in 2006, 32,000
guns were turned in, including 505 handguns, 725 other unwanted weapons and more than 96,000 rounds of ammunition. Thirty-five weapons were collected in Prince George, including two prohibited firearms and a functional replica antique.
To have a weapon or ammunition picked up, call the Prince George RCMP at 250-561-3300.
