Windsor offers gun amnesty program

A new program is aiming to get unwanted guns off the streets of Windsor and other cities across Ontario.

The Windsor Police are collaborating with the OPP to conduct a Gun Amnesty Program during the month of April. The program will provide any Ontario resident a safe way to surrender any unwanted or illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories or ammunition, without receiving weapons-related charges.

According to a Windsor Police, Ontario has seen an increase in break-and-enter incidents where guns were targeted or stolen. This program is aimed, in part, at collecting those guns.

Sgt. Steve Betteridge said he has seen many cases of people who don’t know what to do with their guns.

“You run into a lot of guns that have been inherited from family,” said Betteridge. “Where one gun owner has legally owned it as a legitimate firearm and they have passed away and left it someone.”

During the amnesty, Windsor Police will not recommend weapons-related Criminal Code charges that might otherwise apply. However, there is no amnesty offered for weapons that have been used in the commission of a crime and no anonymous submissions will be accepted.

“If somebody turns something in anonymously and it turned out to be a weapon that was used in the commission of a crime, obviously we would want to know about that, and who that person was,” said Betteridge.

The goal of the amnesty program is to reduce the total number of guns present in the community.

Those interested should call the Windsor Police non-emergency phone at 519-258-6111 to arrange for officers to safely retrieve any unwanted weapons.