The Amnesty ran from July 1 to September 30 2017, and aimed to improve public safety by reducing the number of unregistered firearms and firearm-related articles in our community.

During the three month period 156 firearms and 1876 rounds of ammunition were handed surendered in Goulburn alone.

In the whole of the Hume Local Area Command 369 firearms and 5019 rounds of ammunition were surrendered.

Hume Local Area Command Acting Superintendent Chad Gillies said he wasn’t surprised by the number of surrendered firearms. 

“Traditionally the Hume LAC has a large number of legally licensed and stored firearms,” he said. “In rural areas there are usually old firearms that have been sitting around for years or have been passed down through family so it was encouraging to see that people were surrendering their surplus firearms.” 

However, Superintendent Gillies said he was pleased there was a good response to the amnesty. “From a police perspective the less firearms on the street the less likelihood there is of them being stolen and falling into the wrong hands.” 

During the amnesty, people were not prosecuted for handing in a firearm which was unlicensed or that they did not hold a permit for.

This was the first nation-wide gun amnesty since 1996, when the Howard Government took decisive action following the devastation of the Port Arthur Massacre. During the amnesty, several authorities across the country reported vintage and rare guns being handed in, including a shotgun from the Vietnam War and a luger pistol from World War I. Outside of the amnesty, anyone caught with an unregistered firearm could face a fine of up to $280,000, up to 14 years in jail, and a criminal record.