THUNDER BAY – Ontario police forces are hoping a voluntary surrender program will keep unwanted or illegally owned firearms from ending up in the wrong hands.
During the month of April police forces across the province – including the OPP along with the Thunder Bay and Dryden municipal services – are holding an amnesty period for people to surrender guns or ammunition without penalty, as long as the weapon has not been used to commit crimes.
Thunder Bay Police Service Const. Julie Tilbury said the amnesty is an important initiative for the safety of the public as well as officers.
“One firearm is one too many that’s in the wrong hands,” Tilbury said.
“We can’t predict where break and enters are going to take place or what people are going to do that have firearms. We know from statistics they are stolen in break and enters. If we can get any firearm that’s out there that people really don’t want to have in their house and don’t want to have possession, we want them to call us and we want to take that firearm and ammunition.”
OPP Sgt. Shelley Garr said initiatives like the amnesty have been done before in the province but not in recent memory.
It was decided that it’s time, she added.
“We’re trying to ensure public safety by doing this,” Garr said. “No charges will be laid that might otherwise be laid during the amnesty. We want people to bring in what they don’t want and what they’re not legally allowed to possess.”
Police are urging that people who want to participate are to contact their closest police agency and schedule a time for an officer to come to their home to retrieve any guns or ammunition.
“We don’t want people walking into a police station with a firearm,” Tilbury said. “A lot of people don’t know how to properly handle a firearm, may not have it properly secured in their car or house. This will allow an opportunity for less people who aren’t familiar with guns to potentially have a problem with them.”
Both Tilbury and Garr said it is common for people to receive weapons passed down through families or inherited when a loved one passes away.
Sometimes the people coming into possession of those guns don’t know what to do with them or proper handling.
“We know that a lot of times individuals through family wills come into possession of ammunition or firearms,” Tilbury said. “A lot of times these guns aren’t registered by the individuals, they have these firearms and they don’t know what to do with it. This is a great opportunity to make a good, sound decision to make sure that firearm is out of your house and not be unsafely stored.”
People will not be allowed to surrender guns anonymously, Tilbury said, adding officers need to know the history behind each firearm to ensure it has not been used to carry out a criminal act.
“If we come across a weapon that has been used in a criminal offence a regular criminal investigation will proceed,” Tilbury said. “We have to make sure we are doing what is required by the law and following an investigation. Those will be taken on a case by case basis.”
