Seized firearms. Photo: ACT Policing.
ACT Policing is urging the community to hand in illegal firearms after thousands of firearms and firearm parts were seized across Canberra this year.
So far this year, police have seized more than 2500 firearms and firearm-related parts, including homemade firearms, 3D-printed weapons and gel blasters.
One was a homemade firearm, located at a Lyneham property in March.
More than 2000 of the total count were seized during two joint operations by ACT Policing and NSW Police this year at properties in Mitchell and McKellar, also in March.
Police say they “identified numerous breaches” of local firearms and prohibited weapons laws by a licenced firearms dealer in Mitchell.
These included the “apparent manufacture and possession of suppressors, possession of large capacity magazines, prohibited imitation weapons, unregistered firearms and inadequately secured firearms”.
The homemade weapon seized from Lyneham. Photo: ACT Policing.
The second operation involved an 80-year-old McKellar man, a licenced firearms holder who had to surrender his weapons after being charged with family violence offences.
Police seized more than 150 firearms from his home.
ACT Policing’s Detective Acting Superintendent Matt Sprague took the opportunity this week to remind the community that they can hand in unwanted and unregistered firearms under a permanent ‘National Firearms Amnesty’.
Under this agreement, signed by all Australian governments in 2021, you can surrender firearms, parts and ammunition to police and not face prosecution.
To date, 525 firearms have been surrendered in the ACT.
Homemade firearms. Photo: ACT Policing.
Detective Sprague said there were “no good reasons for homemade, illegal or unregistered firearms to be in our community”.
“We have seen serious injuries this year due to firearms being in our community.
“Unregistered and illegal weapons make it harder for police to investigate serious crimes such as aggravated burglaries, assaults, threats of violence and homicides.”
A spokesperson for ACT Policing told Region people wanting to surrender firearms should contact the ACT Firearms Registry “to make the appropriate arrangements”.
“Registry staff can provide advice on ensuring the firearm is safe and how to best transport it to be surrendered. In certain circumstances, [staff] can also collect the firearm from the owner.”
