How not to surrender a firearm to police

Surrey RCMP is reminding people to call police when they want to relinquish firearms and not bring them to the police station.

Recently, a rifle was brought into the Cloverdale office. A well intentioned person wanted to give up the rifle for destruction and inadvertently pointed it at staff while offering it up. The rifle was not loaded and employees were not at risk, however the incident was unsettling to those present.

Remember these two safety tips for surrendering your firearm:

— Under no circumstances should you bring firearms or ammunition to police detachments or community police offices. Call your local police and officers will come pick them up.

— When police attend to retrieve your unwanted firearm, do not bring your firearm to the door. Leave it securely stored so the officer can ensure the firearm is unloaded and safe for transport.

Once the firearm has been picked up, it will be brought back to the detachment, properly accounted for, recorded and then destroyed.

“We are happy to retrieve firearms for destruction, however we need to ensure everyone’s safety when receiving and disposing of firearms and ammunition,” says Cpl. Scotty Schumann. “The majority of gun related crimes in Canada are committed with guns that are domestically sourced. If we can reduce the number of unwanted firearms in residences, it may have an impact on public and police safety”

For information on licensing, registration and general safekeeping of firearms, please visit the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program (CFP) website at rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf.