Provincial police say gun owners turned in thousands of firearms in April during a province-wide amnesty program.
During the month of April, the OPP and municipal police services across Ontario encouraged gun owners to surrender illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories, or ammunition without fear of prosecution, provided the firearms were not used in the commission of a crime.
According to the OPP, they recovered 689 items including 267 rifles, 156 shotguns, 113 prohibited firearms, 62 other guns such as replica and vintage weapons, and 12,615 pieces of ammunition.
Several municipal police services, including those in London, Chatham, and Windsor took part in the program. According to the OPP, municipal forces collected a total of 1,503 guns.
"A majority of firearms that have been surrendered to police will be destroyed, but a number of guns will be retained for historical, educational or training purposes," the OPP said in a statement issued Thursday. "Although the gun amnesty has officially ended, police will continue to accept submissions from the public. Interested gun owners may call the OPP at 1-888-310-1122 or their local police service's non-emergency lines to arrange for officers to attend and safely retrieve the weapons."