B.C.'s latest month-long gun amnesty found its mark, with 1,801 firearms, 155 other weapons and approximately 30,700 rounds of ammunition turned in for destruction, furthering public safety throughout the province.
At the Sunshine Coast RCMP detachment, 18 firearms were turned in for destruction including eight rifles, one shotgun, four handguns and five air rifles.
The goal of the program, which ran through June, was to encourage British Columbians to safely dispose of unwanted weapons that might otherwise fall into the hands of criminals, children or others, potentially leading to tragic consequences. British Columbians were encouraged to surrender weapons - ranging from high-powered firearms and crossbows to pellet and replica guns - as well as ammunition, by calling their local police or RCMP to attend, secure and remove the items.
As with past campaigns, some interesting items were turned in, including: 1,026 rifles, 394 handguns and 380 shotguns, a machine gun received by Kelowna RCMP, historical firearms, including a Lee-Enfield .303 rifle from the Second World War, bayonets from the 1800s, turned in to Ridge Meadows RCMP and a well-publicized military missile more than six feet long, turned in by the relative of an individual who reportedly kept it as a souvenir of a tour of duty overseas.
The program, endorsed and announced by the B.C. Association of Chiefs of Police in February, was led by RCMP E-Division on behalf of the provincial RCMP, with support from B.C.'s municipal police departments.
"Regardless of whether a weapon's history is distinguished, shady or simply unknown, gun amnesty means its future is secure. Ultimately, all of these weapons are destroyed," said Attorney General and Minister of Justice Suzanne Anton in a news release. "They're not at risk of being found in a drawer by a child, or of ending up on the street after a break-in. I want to commend police and British Columbians for making this latest program a success in furthering public safety throughout our province."
The latest results show the sustained value of periodic gun amnesty programs. Back-to-back programs in 1997 and 1998 yielded an average of 2,500 firearms and 100,000 rounds of ammunition. In 2006, the number of firearms rose to more than 3,200, plus another 725 unwanted weapons, while the number of rounds was relatively stable at 96,500.
