The Moose Jaw Police Service (MJPS) has taken in 25 firearms as part of a province-wide gun amnesty designed to ensure these weapons don’t fall into criminals’ hands.
The gun amnesty began on March 25 and ended April 19. The second annual Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police Gun Amnesty allows residents to turn in their unwanted firearms, replica firearms and ammunition to police or conservation officers.
Last year’s provincial amnesty saw 369 firearms turned in, including 275 rifles and shotguns, 42 handguns and 18 prohibited firearms.
A news released is expected to be released next week with the number of firearms collected this year.
The program in Moose Jaw is going well and residents have responded positively to it, said Sgt. Kevin Pilsworth, MJPS media relations officer. The police service collected a wide range of firearms, including rifles, shotguns and handguns, plus ammunition.
“We are happy (and thrilled) people took advantage of the amnesty program,” he said. “It’s an excellent opportunity for people to have us attend right to their residence. That way, we can do pickup in a safe manner.”
A report in the Saskatoon StarPhoenix indicated Moose Jaw police had taken in at least 24 firearms. Pilsworth was unable to confirm to the Moose Jaw Express how many it had collected.
“The numbers are not a priority for us. It’s getting the guns in and getting them safely taken care of,” he said. “We kind of crunch our numbers down the road. It might be a month before we know how many we took in.”
Pilsworth later reported that 25 firearms had been collected, including 10 rifles, 15 handguns, seven prohibited handguns and about 500 rounds of ammunition.
Moose Jaw police does not want residents transporting their firearms or ammunition to the police station in an unsafe and unlawful manner, Pilsworth stressed. Residents should simply call the station at 306-694-7600 and let the organization know they want to turn in a firearm. Police will then come pick it up.
Having a firearm in the home can overwhelm some people since they might not know how to dispose of it, said Pilsworth. Sometimes people inherit a firearm, receive one from a family member, or have had a firearm for decades but want to get rid of it.
The police service has taken in antique firearms over the years. Sometimes residents have turned in a firearm that a grandfather or great-grandfather used during a World War. Other times, people have turned over a handgun that is relatively new and prohibited.
So what happens to the firearms Moose Jaw police collect? Pilsworth explained that the organization acts in an unbiased manner when disposing of them. It doesn’t matter if firearms are 100 years old or brand new: they are destroyed.
“We have a very strict protocol around that,” he said. “When people turn in their firearms, they can rest safely knowing that those firearms are never going to end up in the hands of someone who shouldn’t have them.”
If residents have a firearm and believe they can transfer it safely to someone else to own, that is also acceptable.
Most of the time when criminals commit crimes with firearms, those firearms are unregistered weapons, said Pilsworth. Surrendering your firearm to police ensures community safety.
When asked if guns are a problem in Moose Jaw, Pilsworth replied that firearms are always a problem in the wrong hands. However, there has been an increase in the use of guns during crimes here in the last couple of years.
“It might just be a ripple, but over the past few years we’ve had more serious calls involving firearms than we have in the past,” he added. “It’s definitely something we’re keeping a close eye on … That’s why these types of programs are important.”
