Nearly 300 firearms were turned over to police during a province-wide police firearms amnesty in October, Attorney General Andrew Swan announced.
“I’d like to thank everyone who voluntarily came forward to turn in an unwanted or unused firearm,” said Swan. “In the wrong hands, even a single weapon has the potential to wreak havoc and cause tragedies. It’s impossible to know what this amnesty may have helped to prevent. We do know that these weapons will never be stolen, lost, incorrectly stored or used to commit crime on our streets and that makes this a success.”
During the month of October, police agencies across the province collected weapons from citizens who chose to surrender them. As part of the amnesty, police used their discretion not to lay criminal charges. They will now ensure the weapons are disposed of appropriately.
“We sincerely thank those members of the community who utilized the 2010 gun amnesty period to voluntarily turn in their unwanted firearms,” said Winnipeg Police Service Insp. Brian Cyncora. “We know that with every surrendered firearm the risk of these firearms ever being involved in inappropriate or illegal activities has been eliminated. We believe the act of surrendering unwanted firearms enhances community safety.”
“I would like to commend Manitobans for taking the initiative of contributing to the safety of our communities by participating in the provincewide gun amnesty,” said Assistant Commissioner Bill Robinson, commanding officer of RCMP ‘D’ Division. “By removing unwanted firearms from circulation, Manitoba citizens are doing their part in helping to keep guns out of the hands of criminals.”
“Police services across Manitoba are pleased with the results of this year’s amnesty,” said Keith Atkinson, chief, Brandon Police Service, and president, Manitoba Association of Chiefs of Police. “The fact that so many unwanted firearms were turned in eliminates the possibility of them being used for illegal purposes or accidentally injuring or killing someone.”
The final total of surrendered items includes 273 assorted rifles and shotguns, 20 restricted handguns, four prohibited weapons, and 74 boxes or bags of assorted ammunition.
Of the total number of items, 192 were surrendered to the Winnipeg Police Service, 85 were handed over to the RCMP and 20 others were turned in elsewhere in the province. The total number of firearms surrendered in the month was 297, adding to the 407 netted in a similar amnesty in 2007 and 315 surrendered in 2005.
