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VANCOUVER – During a four-week, provincewide gun amnesty that has proven to be a major success, British Columbians turned over 3,213 guns and 725 other unwanted weapons to B.C. police departments, Solicitor General John Les said today.
“This gun amnesty is the most successful we’ve ever had in B.C.,” said Les. “Hundreds of deadly weapons have been removed from our streets and will never be used in the commission of a crime. The usefulness of this amnesty is borne out by the wide variety of weapons collected, including more than 500 handguns. I want to thank everybody who played a part in making our homes and communities safer.”
The BC Gun Amnesty was supported by the ministries of Solicitor General and Attorney General, and ran from June 1 to 30. The amnesty gave people who possessed documented or undocumented weapons that had not been used in a criminal offence the opportunity to turn in guns and ammunition to their local police force without being charged.
“British
Columbians are clearly concerned by the number of deadly weapons in our
province,” said Attorney General Wally Oppal. “This is supported by the sheer
number of unwanted weapons turned in during this amnesty.”
“The public’s response to the amnesty was excellent,” said Central Saanich Chief Constable Paul Hames, president of the British Columbia Chiefs of Police. “We wanted to give people a safe and easy way to dispose of unwanted weapons, and the public really embraced the idea. Many of those who contacted police said that having a gun in their house had been a burden for them, but they were unsure how to get rid of it safely.”
During the amnesty, the public also turned in more than 96 thousand rounds of ammunition. While the majority of the firearms handed in were rifles and shotguns, a number of unusual guns and weapons were given to police, including a Sterling submachine-gun, rocket launcher and a semi-automatic battle rifle.
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Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General 250 356-6961 |
Public Affairs Officer Ministry of Attorney General 250 387-4962 |
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For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca. |
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