Waterloo Regional Police holding weapon amnesty program in November

Waterloo Regional Police say they are holding a firearms and prohibited weapons amnesty program throughout the month of November.

The program allows area residents to turn unwanted or unlicensed firearms and other weapons that are potentially illegal over to police while escaping prosecution for illegal possession.

“Having illegally owned firearms and weapons taken off the street is a benefit to our entire community,” said Staff Sgt. Greg Hibbard of the Waterloo Regional Police Service’s drugs and firearms unit.

“Turning in these unwanted weapons will reduce this risk and, in turn, make our streets safer.”

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Australians hand over 51,000 illegal firearms in gun amnesty

It has been a few years since Waterloo police conducted an amnesty program as the last one was held in 2017.

They were also held in 2014 and 2015 and over those three years, 427 firearms (shotguns, rifles, handguns), 160 pellet/BB/imitation guns, 21,000 rounds of ammunition and seven military ordnance were turned into police.

Area residents who wish to submit weapons for destruction should not take them to a local station, rather they should call police at (519) 570-9777 to make arrangements for them to be picked up by an officer.