Second biggest weapons handover

The second most weapons handed over in Victoria during a national gun amnesty came from Geelong’s policing region, according to police.
Western Region produced 1198 weapons during the National Firearm Amnesty, Victoria Police confirmed this week.
Eastern Region, on the other side of the state, returned the most guns, with 1681 handed over to authorities.
But the two regions covering urban Melbourne and its outskirts produced the least firearms, the police figures revealed.
North West Region, from central Melbourne to Whittlesea, returned 419 weapons. Southern Region, from Prahran to the Mornington Peninsula, produced 356.
The figures contrasted gun crime statistics, with Melbourne producing Victoria’s highest rates of criminal shootings.
The three-month amnesty aimed to reduce “the risk of firearms and weapons falling into the wrong hands”, Victoria Police said.
Rifles, shotguns, handguns and swords were among items crushed and melted or registered after they were surrendered during the National Firearm Amnesty, police said.
Victoria Police expected to count more than 4000 surrendered firearms after finalising returns.
The amnesty concluded at the end of September.
The amnesty was Victoria’s “most-effective” in a decade, said Victoria Police Licensing and Regulation Division’s Superintendent Paul Millett.
“The amnesty has resulted in a tangible benefit to community safety here in Victoria by ensuring firearms and weapons are kept out of reach of people who don’t need them for lawful purposes,” he said.
“Victoria Police has a number of dedicated resources in place to tackle the illicit firearm market and to ensure compliance by licence holders on an ongoing basis.”
Rare and “historically significant” firearms and weapons handed during the amnesty would go on display in museums across the country, Supt Millett said.
Although the amnesty was over, police still encouraged anyone with unwanted weapons to contact their local stations to arrange a surrender of illegal weapons, Supt Millett said.
“The safety of the community will always be Victoria Police’s first priority,” he said.
“During the amnesty, items were surrendered to licensed firearm dealers whose assistance was invaluable during the amnesty period.
“While the majority of firearm licence holders are responsible when it comes to storage of their firearms, police will continue to conduct compliance operations aimed at ensuring proper firearm storage.”