Give up your guns
Following a successful knife amnesty run by Avon & Somerset Police that excluded large swathes of Somerset from, they are now running a gun amnesty too.
During the last firearms surrender, in November 2017, 313 guns and 120 pieces of ammunition were handed in. This included rifles, shotguns, pistols and revolvers, flare guns, starter pistols, air rifles, BB guns and a stun gun.
From Saturday 20 July until Sunday 4 August you’ll be able to hand in guns, ammunition, stun guns and pepper spray at five designated stations Somerset locations in bold:
· Bridgwater Police Centre more here
· Keynsham Police Centre
· Patchway Police Centre
· Trinity Police Station
· Yeovil Police Station more here
Under the scheme you won’t have to give your name, and even if you hand in an illegal item you won’t be prosecuted for having it. However, guns and ammunition will be examined by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS) and if it is identified that the gun was used in any crime it will be investigated.
Any evidence of crime will be kept. Unusual items may go into the NABIS reference collection or be given to museums. Everything else will be destroyed.
However Police believe these initiatives are a major help in taking weapons off the street and keeping them out of the hands of criminals.