Police agencies in Nova Scotia are working together to support a province-wide initiative meant to increase community and police officer safety while ensuring Nova Scotians are compliant with existing firearms legislation.

The Safe Communities Initiative is about assisting owners with the registration process for prohibited and restricted firearms if they wish to keep them, or relinquish unwanted firearms to police and remove them from our communities. The planning for this initiative began prior to recent incidents of violence in the Halifax region.

The Nova Scotia RCMP is leading the initiative with the support and participation of all police agencies in the province who will be conducting outreach in their areas in the coming days and months. Officers will provide education on laws surrounding firearms and ownership.  The initiative will take several months and once completed, an update will be provided to the public

“As an association, we strongly encourage citizens throughout Nova Scotia to take advantage of this initiative and either register their firearms or turn in any unwanted firearms,” says Cape Breton Regional Police Chief Peter McIsaac, President of the Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association.  “This is a way for us to work together with our communities to promote responsibility for firearms owners and ultimately, to improve public safety.”

Individuals identified as having restricted or prohibited firearms will be contacted by phone to determine the status of their firearm(s). If the individual wishes to keep the firearm(s), police can provide assistance completing the registration paperwork.  If the individual wishes to turn in their firearm(s) for destruction, an officer will retrieve the weapon(s).

“We know that many people may not even realize their restricted and prohibited firearms are unregistered, particularly if they have inherited them,” says C/Supt. Marlene Snowman, Criminal Operations Officer for the Nova Scotia RCMP.  “This Initiative will help gun owners register their prohibited and restricted firearms and relinquish unwanted firearms to the police.”

If you have unwanted firearms, please contact your local police service or RCMP through their non-emergency line to make arrangements for police to take possession of the firearms. For security reasons, please do not transport firearms to local police departments or RCMP detachments.

For general information on firearms, including firearms licensing and registration requirements, please visit the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program website at www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf

Source: Media Release