Sweden launches new weapons amnesty
Published: 1 Mar 13 07:55 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46478/20130301/
Sweden on Friday commenced with its first weapons amnesty in more than five years, allowing anyone to turn illegal firearms in to police with no questions asked.
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"Reducing illegal weapons possession is a very important measure for reducing gun violence."
According to the terms of the amnesty, which lasts from March 1st through May 31st, 2013, anyone can turn in a firearm or ammunition without the risk of being charged with illegal weapons possession.
To avoid prosecution, people must turn the weapons in voluntarily and police have agreed not to ask any questions or make inquiries as to the origins of the weapons.
The goal of the programme is to reduce the number of illegal weapons on Sweden's streets.
"Compared with licenced weapons, there is a much higher risk that illegal weapons will be misused or fall into the wrong hands," said Thorsell.
"These are firearms that are often stored improperly, tucked away or hidden in attics or sheds."
Police also hope the amnesty will prompt people with modified or homemade firearms to turn them in.
The last time Sweden carried out a weapons amnesty was in 2007, at which time roughly 13,000 firearms were turned in to police.
Following the amnesty, the weapons and ammunition collected by police will be destroyed.
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Gun-related murder rates in the "developed" world (source: OECD):
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Enough said.
Compared with licenced weapons, there is a much higher risk that illegal weapons will be misused or fall into the wrong hands," said Thorsell
Very true. Cost savings and savings in crime will be good, too.
@Jay - if folks turn them in then they don't want them around anyways and this is a good way of getting black market weapons off the street for very little in resources. People who legally have guns and want to keep them (Swedes have lots of guns at home) can and do.
What about Switzerland, which has a higher rate of gun ownership than Iraq but a lower homicide rate? Can it be tied so tightly to gun ownership or are their other factors at play that need to be addressed in Sweden in order to solve this catastrophic murder rate in Sweden (where one person out of every 244,000 people gets killed with a gun).
A gun buyback program and changes in gun ownership laws have reduced mass shootings in Australia, and have accelerated the rate of decline of gun related homicides (both self inflicted and murder rates),
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2704353/
In the 18 years before the gun law reforms after the Port Arthur massacre, there were 13 mass shootings in Australia, and in the 17 years afterwards, there has been one mass shooting with two fatalities.
No laws require 100% success rates for their justification (just like speeding tickets do not reduce speeding to zero). I am not against gun ownership for hunting and sport shooting, but semi and fully automatics with large clips have no place in civilized society outside of closely monitored storage lockers in shooting ranges, or in the hands of special police and military units.