Australians Turn In 12,500 Guns in National Amnesty’s First Weeks
While he called the amnesty "a real success," he described many of the weapons being handed in as "rubbish guns." "I would suspect the great majority of guns
that have been surrendered are long guns, which have very little value to their owners and even less value to criminals." Long guns, such as rifles, which are typically used by farmers, are less valuable on the illicit market than handguns.
11, 2017
SYDNEY, Australia — The first numbers for the National Gun Amnesty are in,
and more than 12,500 unregistered firearms have been surrendered since it started last month, Michael Keenan, the minister for justice, announced on Thursday.
Millett said that A lot of them have come from deceased estates or people who have had a change in life
and may have moved from a country property into a metropolitan area, and therefore they’ve handed their firearms in,
Wayne Hoffman said that We’ve also received more than 110 prohibited weapons, including samurai swords, knives and other edged weapons,
Still, while the last nationwide firearms amnesty in 1996 was hailed as a success for Australia, the most
important changes over the last 20 years may have been in the public’s attitude toward gun safety.
The amnesty, which is running from July 1 until Sept. 30, allows people to hand unwanted or unregistered firearms over to the police
and to licensed firearm dealers without fear of prosecution.
