Owners of illegal guns offered a chance to turn in their weapons- no questions asked

The OPP has launched a month-long gun amnesty that allows people to turn in prohibited weapons in exchange for immunity from charges. OPP say the purpose of the program is to get guns out of homes and eliminate the possibility of them winding up in the hands of criminals.

In fact, in the past two years there have been 240 firearms stolen as a result of break-ins in OPP jurisdictions. In Hamilton more than 1700 firearms were turned over to the police during amnesties in 2006, 2014 and 2015.

The amnesty extends to illegal weapons other than guns as well, including items like bear spray, certain types of knives and modifed pellet guns. There is a stipulation on the terms of the amnesty,

“If a gun has been proven to have been used in the commission of a crime, the amnesty doesn’t apply for that situation.” OPP.

If you decide to turn in one of these items, do not bring it directly to a police facility. Call OPP at a non-emergency number and they will set up an appointment. The program runs until the end of April.