Old guns as paperweights are not worth the trouble

NSW Police has destroyed and recycled more than three tonnes of firearms in May after collecting them across the state.

Photos of the more than 2800 weapons show a motley collection of rusty rifles and ancient shotguns, stripped of their furniture and piled in a skip in Sydney.

Riverina Police District Inspector Jill Gibson says many of these have come from rural areas where they were surrendered during the ongoing National Firearms Amnesty.

“Especially out here in rural areas, there will be people who are registered firearms owners, they might be getting on in age or they’re not getting out anymore and the firearms might not be worth much money,” she says.

“What do you do with them? How do you get rid of them? Obviously, going through a dealer is great because you can get some reimbursement, but if you just want to surrender them, come here to the police and we have them destroyed.”

The National Firearms Amnesty has been running since 1 July 2021 to reduce the number of unregistered firearms in Australia.

According to data from 2021, the 2650 Wagga postcode has 2934 licence holders and 11,460 registered firearms.

“There was a time when registration wasn’t a thing and it might have been the case that pop kept a gun up in the ceiling and then forgot about it and the lucky next homeowners found it,” explains Insp Gibson.

“Sometimes people find some weird and wonderful things including old explosive devices. In the case where you think you’ve found something that might be explosive – don’t touch, tilt or tamper, just give us a call and we’ll come out and have a look.”

She says the most surprising item handed in was an artillery piece.

“It was an old cannon that I think was used for war recreation or ceremonial duties, and then it was located in the back of a barn somewhere.”

Insp Gibson says antique items may also find their way to museums.

“We’ve come across a few which have been in perfect nick – old Boer War rifles and things like that – so if there’s an intrinsic value we do get in contact with museums and go through the right channels to have them displayed.”

She says the amnesty means that people can surrender unwanted and potentially dangerous items without fear of prosecution.

“Don’t be afraid of coming to us,” she says.

“We’ve had guns pulled out of rivers, rusty old things that can’t operate; don’t keep them around the house. They’re not paperweights.”

She warns that even old, inoperable guns pose a potential risk.

“They can be restored and put into other people’s hands and we don’t want that, so we would rather have them brought in here to us,” she says.

“But if you are bringing in a firearm, I suggest you ring ahead, just for your own benefit,” she adds with a laugh.

Firearms or related items can be surrendered to police or delivered to participating firearms dealers.

More information on the National Firearms Amnesty can be found here.