More than 160 firearms, prohibited weapons and firearm-related items were surrendered in Port Stephens during the National Firearms Amnesty, police have revealed.
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During the amnesty, a total of 169 items were surrendered to Port Stephens police and registered dealers within the local area command.
Gary Worboys, the NSW Police Force Deputy Commissioner Regional Field Operations, said the response to the amnesty from the community was overwhelming, especially in regional areas.
“It’s extremely encouraging to see community members recognising the danger posed by these weapons and doing the right thing by handing them in or having them registered,” he said.
“There has been a really strong response across the state which means there are now fewer unwanted or unregistered guns on our streets.”
The amnesty ran from July 1 to September 30.
During the amnesty, anyone with unregistered, unwanted or prohibited firearms can surrender them to an appropriate drop-off point without penalty.
Prohibited weapons such as crossbows, suppressors and swords, and firearm-related items such as ammunition and barrels can also be surrendered without penalty during the amnesty.
Port Stephens was in the top 20 of LACs that had the highest number of weapons surrendered.
More to come.
Also read: Police warning to gun owners during amnesty
2017 amnesty results
- Nearly 10,000 firearms and firearm-related items – including 602 handguns and 1575 shotguns – were surrendered as part of the National Firearms Amnesty this year.
- Additionally, 13,729 firearms were handed in for registration and 2101 were acquired by dealers across the state.
- Surrendered items of interest include 20 SKS assault rifles, eight M1 carbine military self-loading rifles, four sub-machine guns, a Colt AR-15 rifle, a .44 calibre magnum revolver, an Adler 110 shotgun, and a Mauser model 1918 T-Gewehr-Bolt Action anti-tank rifle.
- Under the amnesty 130 prohibited weapons including 14 crossbows, 27 suppressors, samurai swords, knives, and other edged weapons were also handed in.