Gun Amnesty nets 186 weapons
Some of the arms previously handed over that were on display at Eve-Leary  last Month
Some of the arms previously handed over that were on display at Eve-Leary last Month

The Guyana Police Force Saturday said that the Firearm Amnesty netted 186 weapons, including 153 shotguns and one AK 47 assault rifle.The amnesty ended last Wednesday.
In a statement, the Police Force listed the small arms handed in as 13 pistols, 10 Air Rifles and nine revolvers.
‘F’ Division (Interior Locations) netted the most weapons with 144 shotguns, one AK 47 rifle, one 9mm pistol, one .32 pistol in addition to 39 rounds for various arms.
‘A’ Division (Georgetown/East Bank Demerara) location netted five .22 pistols and three magazines along with 88 rounds .22 ammunition; five shotguns with 49 cartridges; one 9mm Luger pistol with thirty eight (38) 9mm. rounds; four .32 pistols along with one magazine and 347 matching rounds; five air rifles; one .22 revolver; four .38 revolvers and 126 matching rounds; one .357 revolver, one .32 revolver with seven .32 rounds and 51 rounds .25 ammunition.
For ‘B’ Division (Berbice) there was one .32 pistol with ten .32 rounds; one 16 gauge shotgun with 10 cartridges and four 9mm. rounds
In ‘C’ Division (East Coast Demerara) there were two air rifles; one .32 revolver with five .32 rounds and three 9mm spent shells while ‘D’ Division (West Demerara/East Bank Essequibo) netted two air rifles, one .32 revolver, one 9mm magazine, three 16 gauge shotgun cartridges, three 20 gauge shotgun cartridges and thirty one .30 cartridges.
Finally in ‘E’ Division (Linden/Kwakwani) one air rifle was handed over along with one improvised shotgun and two shotguns.
In most cases, the guns and ammunition collected during an amnesty are destroyed, but Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud stated that once the ballistic experts give clearance that the guns were not used in the commissioning of a crime, the Guyana Police Force can apply to the authorities to have them added to their stock.
“We will be advised by our ballistic experts and we will provide a report for consideration by our policy makers,” he added. Tests, he noted, have already begun on the weapons and to date, none were linked to any crime.
The Police Chief explained that once a gun has been linked to an offence, the Police can and would reopen an investigation into the particular matter.
The Commissioner further stated that those who would have surrendered their illegal weapons during the amnesty programme will have absolute immunity. The immunity, however, only relates to possession of firearms, but not the crime it might have been involved in.
The gun amnesty initiative was launched on September 1, as part of Government’s plan to curb the number of illegal firearms circulating in the country.

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