241 guns, 14,000 rounds of ammo turned in during firearm amnesty

More than 240 unwanted guns were turned in during the provincewide 2022 Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police gun amnesty.

The amnesty, which ran from March 21 through Sunday, collected 241 unwanted or replica firearms and more than 14,000 rounds of ammunition.

No charges were filed for unauthorized possession or careless storage of firearms.

“From hunting to sports, we recognize that firearms are part of Saskatchewan people’s lives,” Saskatoon Police Service Chief Troy Cooper, the SACP’s vice-president, said in a media release. “But we cannot forget that firearms can pose a danger when they are unwanted and not properly stored.”

The Saskatoon Police Service collected the most firearms with 81. Guns also were surrendered to the Saskatchewan RCMP (79), Regina Police Service (48), Prince Albert Police Service (13), Moose Jaw Police Service (11), Saskatchewan Environment Resource Management (eight) and Weyburn Police Service (one).

“Getting these firearms out of circulation is very useful,” Saskatchewan RCMP Supt. Honey Dwyer said in the release. “There are now 241 fewer opportunities for firearms to be stolen, and used in crimes by active criminals and gang members across the province.”

The SACP said while the amnesty period ended Sunday, people can still surrender their firearms to police.