Got guns? Waterloo Regional Police gathers unwanted firearms - Action News
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Kitchener-Waterloo

Got guns? Waterloo Regional Police gathers unwanted firearms

Until the end of the month, police are calling on the public to turn in their prohibited weapons for safety.

Till the end of the month, police are calling on the public to turn in their prohibited weapons for safety.

Police collected a total of 22 firearms, including nine shotguns, eight rifles, and five handguns. (Peggy Lam/CBC News)

Waterloo Regional Police areonce again collecting unwanted firearms, with an amnesty program for people who bring in unlicensed weapons.

The program runs the full month of November.

"Most of the calls we've been receiving from the community are from people who have inherited these firearms orhave been willed these items," said Michael Haffner, inspector with the WRPS.

"They're really in a situation where they don't know what to do with them," Haffner said.
A conductive energy weapon, commonly called a Taser after the dominant brand name, was turned in to Waterloo Region police during its 2017 weapons collection amnesty. The NOVA XR5000 given to police is one of the original devices in the field, dating to the mid 1980s. (Peggy Lam/CBC News)

Theregion's firearms and prohibited weapons amnesty programhas been running since 2015. This year, police have gathered a total of22 firearms, including nineshotguns, eightrifles,and fivehandguns. They've also collected 1100 rounds of ammunition, seven pellet guns, and a conductive energy weapon.

"It's agood opportunity to get these items off the street and dispose of them to protect our community," Haffnersaid. "We don't want them to be in bad hands to commit further criminal offences."

After collecting afirearm, police identify the weaponby scanning the serial number and doing a background check.

Haffnersaid policestill have 18 appointments to visit people forcollectionsthis month.

Although the program ends in November, Haffner said he wants individualsto continuecalling police when theycome across unwanted weapons.