Waterloo Region, Ontario – On November 1, 2014, Waterloo Regional Police launched the Firearms and Prohibited Weapons Amnesty program, a month-long community safety and awareness initiative to help increase community awareness and also provide an additional opportunity for members of the public to turn in items that present a potential safety risk.
The community is responding and is contacting Waterloo Regional Police to arrange for removal of a variety of guns and weapons. To date, police have collected the following items:
Firearms: 38 (includes 4 prohibited handguns)
Pellet guns, prohibited knives, bear spray: 12
Ammunition: several dozen boxes
Amnesties conducted in other Ontario communities have been successful in encouraging the public to contact police about firearms that were illegally owned or no longer wanted. The amnesty program has the added benefit of reminding firearms owners about their responsibilities and also includes an educational component around prohibited weapons in Canada.
Police urge the public to take advantage of this opportunity to properly dispose of the items they no longer want while there is a limited potential for criminal charges.
Anyone wishing to submit items for destruction is asked to call the police communications center at (519) 653 7700 to make arrangements for an officer to pick up the items. Under no circumstances are the items to be transported by members of the public. Additional information relating to the amnesty program is available on our website at www.wrps.on.ca
Funding for the amnesty program is provided in part by the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services Provincial Anti-Violence Intervention Strategy.