Hamilton Police gun amnesty collects 25 firearms in 5 days

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A gun amnesty program in the city of Hamilton is underway and already 25 guns have been turned over to police. The program follows a summer of heavy gun violence in the city.

Residents have handed in long arms, rifles, shot guns, pellet guns, hand guns and an assortment of ammunition.

Police say the program is really a crime prevention tool; an opportunity for residents to get rid of guns they no longer want. It’s also a reminder for people who do have guns and want to keep them, that they must be kept in a safe, secure place.

This is the third gun amnesty program in Hamilton in the past 12 years. Last year, 374 guns were collected – a success, police say, by all accounts.

Inspector Paul Evans: “We’re removing opportunity for future crimes. The firearms themselves, who knows what they could have been used for.”

“Any firearm that does come in that has a suspicious nature, or has any sort of modification to it, we figure something has been altered with the firearm, we will have a closer look at the firearm to ensure that it hasn’t been involved in a previous crime and it will be sent off for testing if it does appear to have been used in a previous crime.”

“But it’s more of a removal of opportunity for future crimes is what we are looking at here for all types of firearms.”

The amnesty program runs until November 6th.

Gun owners who want to turn their firearm in should call police at 905-979-1602, who will come to your home to pick it up. Do not under any circumstance bring the gun to a police station.

CHCH’s Donna Skelly will have more on that, and a summit by Hamilton’s mayor on preventing gun violence, tonight on the Evening News at 6.