Hordes of firearms handed in
2005-06-10 09:45
Johannesburg - More than 2 200 firearms of all calibres and some 64 000 rounds of live ammunition have been handed in since the start of the firearm amnesty, North Rand police said on Thursday.
"Although we are happy with the large number of firearms handed over to police so far, we would like to again extend our call to the public to make use of the firearm amnesty process to hand over unwanted or illegal firearms," said superintendent Eugene Opperman.
He said people in possession of illegal or unwanted firearms could hand them in at any police station without fear of prosecution.
The amnesty was originally declared for a three-month period from January 1 until March 31. But the period was extended for another three-month period (until June 30) when it became clear that the handing in of firearms significantly increased during the last week of March.
The amnesty is to prevent the proliferation of mostly illegally possessed firearms. Illegal and unwanted firearms and ammunition may be handed in at any police station.
Anybody who wants to know more about the amnesty and its processes should contact their local SAPS Firearm Registry Centres.
- SAPA