A total of 14 firearms were surrendered to the Williams Lake RCMP Detachment during the BC Gun Amnesty held through the month of June.
Intent on giving B.C. residents a safe way to dispose of weapons, imitation weapons and related equipment and ammunition which they were not legally entitled to own or no longer wanted, the Williams Lake Detachment participated in the gun amnesty along with police departments around the province.
Williams Lake RCMP Detachment operations support John Pilszek confirmed Friday that seven handguns, of which two were prohibited firearms, five rifles and two shot guns were turned in.
In Williams Lake the surrendered guns will be taken to Cariboo Steel for disposal. The serial numbers will be removed and they will be crushed with a 50-ton press.
"Once that's done they're nothing more than scrap metal," Pilszek said.
At a press conference being held in Richmond today, July 12, at 1 p.m. the attorney general and minister of justice, Suzanne Anton, along with all police departments in B.C. will announce the final tally of firearms turned in during this year's BC Gun Amnesty.
There will also be several exhibits of the firearms on display at the press conference.
At the 2006 BC Gun Amnesty, in excess of 3,200 guns were turned in to police including 505 handguns, and 725 other unwanted weapons. 96,500 rounds of ammunition, a rocket launcher, and a machine gun were also turned in.