Almost 250 guns are off the streets of Saskatchewan, thanks to the annual gun amnesty program.
Multiple rifles and handguns are some of the 241 collected around the province during the amnesty, which ran from March 21 to April 10 from the following locations:
- Saskatoon Police Service – 81
- Regina Police Service – 48
- Saskatchewan RCMP – 79
- Moose Jaw Police Service – 11
- Prince Albert Police Service – 13
- Weyburn Police Service – 1
- Saskatchewan Environment Resource Management – 8
The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police (SACP) started the gun amnesty program in 2018, where residents are encouraged to hand over unwanted firearms, replica firearms and ammunition.
“From hunting to sports, we recognize that firearms are part of Saskatchewan people’s lives, but we cannot forget that firearms can pose a danger when they are unwanted and not properly stored,” Said Troy Cooper, SACP vice president and Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) chief of police.
In 2018, police collected 369 firearms, and in 2019 they collected 283, which was then followed by a 3-year break due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Getting these firearms out of circulation is very useful,” said Honey Dwyer, Saskatchewan RCMP superintendent.
“There are now 241 fewer opportunities for firearms to be stolen, and used in crimes by active criminals and gang members across the province,” Dwyer said.
People also handed in over 14,000 rounds of ammunition.
The police plan to record each gun and then destroy them.