Police appeal to back gun amnesty launched across UK to put firearms out of harm’s way
A TWO-WEEK UK-wide firearms surrender campaign is targeting unlawfully-held trophies of war as well as guns in the hands of criminal gangs.
Senior officers hope the initiative, starting today, will emulate the success of a similar campaign across England and Wales in 2014, which saw more than 6,000 weapons handed in.
National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for Criminal Use of Firearms, Northumbria Police assistant chief constable Helen McMillan, said it was aimed at the “full spectrum” of society.
She said: “I am urging anyone with an unwanted firearm to hand it over to police.
“You don’t have to give your name or address, we just want more guns out of harm’s way.
“Each firearm we retrieve has the potential to save a life so do the right thing and surrender your weapon.”
Ms McMillan added: “We are asking anybody if you have one of those weapons, be it a BB-gun, air weapon, a rifle, a shotgun or a pistol, it could be a trophy of war, it could be a starting pistol, please contact us on 101 and arrange to hand it in to your nearest police station.
“The surrender is aimed at everyone, it is aimed at a criminal who may have a weapon but also it’s aimed at those members of the public who may have a weapon that’s been in the family for quite some time.
“Some people will come across weapons when they’re clearing the houses of relatives or when they are going through drawers of someone who may have passed away.
“They may not be comfortable with possessing that weapon but may not know what to do with it.”
She stressed that those handing firearms in will not be prosecuted for possessing a weapon at the point of its surrender.