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Amnesty for illegal guns: police here to help
ILLEGAL guns and other weapons can be safely handed into the Mansfield police station, without any penalties, as part of a new Victorian Police Firearms and Weapons amnesty.
Any unwanted or illegal firearms or weapons can be handed back to local police stations, including Mansfield, and the owner has no fear of retribution.
Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said the amnesty was about addressing potential weapon issues early on, while also offering assistance to people who may wish to dispose of firearms they no longer use.
"This is a proactive initiative by Victoria Police to reduce the amount of weapons in the community before they end up being used for crime," Mr Walshe said.
"It will also assist people who might have previously had reason to have a firearm and no longer need or want it."
The amnesty follows a successful weapon handover in Melbourne’s west last year which resulted in a diverse range of items being handed into police.
These included a cross bow, three daggers in scabbards, three decorative swords, two hand-carved wooden sheaths containing swords, three samurai bronze swords, eight guns with ammunition, four guns, six firearms and a quantity of ammunition.
An amnesty in Flemington last year resulted in 100 weapons being handed in.
Mr Walshe said by acting early and giving people an opportunity to hand in weapons of this nature, police believe they can safely remove them from Victorian streets and minimise any potential use.
"This process will allow people to make an educated choice and hand in any weapons for the benefit of the whole community," Mr Walshe said.
"We are giving people fair warning and the opportunity to help make their community safer for everyone.
If the public do not wish to surrender the items at a police station then police officers will attend their home, collect the weapon, and get a signed notice of abandonment from them.
Police have also advised people that any military ordnance or explosives such as hand grenades or similar should not be transported anywhere and people should instead contact police who will arrange safe disposal.
"Anyone who chooses not to use this opportunity and carries a knife will be dealt with by police to the full extent of the law, so we ask people to make the right choice and hand in knives and firearms during this time," Mr Walshe said.
All weapons must be wrapped in paper, plastic or cloth prior to disposal to ensure the process is as safe as possible.
People should ensure that firearms are not loaded when they attend the police station and are also encouraged to ring their local police station before taking the items in.
People must ensure that the articles are transported in a manner that is safe and secure and convey the items from the place of storage to a police station by the most direct and practical route.
Mr Walshe said the amnesty would further boost a heightened police focus on the safe management of a
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