B.C. RCMP want your help in ending gun and gang violence

September 30, 2016 - 1:06 PM INFO-TEL News.ca

THOMPSON-OKANAGAN - RCMP detachments across the province are asking people to turn over unwanted and unauthorized firearms, ammunition and weapons.It's part of the provincial police's gun amnesty month running through October. The gun amnesty will help remove firearms from the community, eliminating the risk of them falling into the hands of criminals, according to a RCMP media release. Police agencies across the province are also encouraging the public to report any illegal firearm use. For the next month, people who want to surrender ammunition or weapons, including imitation firearms and replicas, can contact their local police who will visit their home to pick them up, the release says. The public should not bring the firearms, ammunitions or weapons to the police themselves. Public Safety Minister Mike Morris says many people inherit guns or keep them as souvenirs without realizing the dangers of these weapons ending up in the wrong hands. "The upcoming Gun Amnesty is an important part of the work we are doing with police agencies throughout the province to stop guns and gangs in B.C.," Morris said in the release. The amnesty will allow the public to dispose of any unwanted firearm regardless of classification, ammunition and weapons that have not been used in a criminal offence without facing weapons-related charges.

If you want to participate in the gun amnesty program you can call the non-emergency line of the RCMP detachment in your community. You can also go here for a link to all the police departments in B.C.