Two weeks left in Ontario Provincial Police gun amnesty

April 19, 2018 · 0 Comments

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) have safely secured dozens of weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition midway through a month-long Gun Amnesty campaign.

As of Monday (April 16), there have been 218 gun amnesty calls for service in OPP jurisdiction, 42 of which were received through the online reporting option on the OPP website. Since the launch of the gun amnesty, 267 items were recovered through appointments made with OPP officers. These included restricted, prohibited, replica, and vintage weapons. Just over 5,200 pieces of ammunition were surrendered during this period, including a quantity of hollow point bullets.

The gun amnesty will be in effect until April 30 for any Ontario resident who wishes to voluntarily surrender unwanted or illegally-owned firearms, weapons, accessories, or ammunition. The public is reminded that no amnesty is offered for people who turn in weapons that have been used in the commission of a crime and no anonymous submissions will be accepted.

Interested gun owners are strongly urged to call the OPP (or their local police service’s) non-emergency number at 1-888-310-1122 to arrange for officers to attend and safely retrieve the weapons. Gun owners can also use the OPP website at opp.ca/gunamnesty — or the Citizen Self Reporting tool to notify police.

Under NO circumstances should anyone deliver guns or ammunition directly to police facilities.

The Gun Amnesty does not prevent or limit the transfer of ownership or sale of firearms to and by third parties who have a valid Possession and Acquisition Licence .

During the amnesty, police will not recommend weapons-related Criminal Code charges that might otherwise apply to people who are turning in firearms and ammunition.

Although a majority of firearms surrendered to police will be destroyed, a number of firearms may be retained for historical, educational or training purposes.

All municipal police services in Ontario are participating in the Gun Amnesty.

For more information on the Canadian Firearms Program visit the RCMP’s national website at http://www.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/cfp-pcaf/index-eng.htm. There you will find some general safety information, as well as information on Inherited Firearms.

Trio sought in armed robbery

Orangeville Police are investigating an armed robbery that occurred just before 6:00 a.m. Tuesday morning at a First Street convenience store.
Three black males entered First Street Variety, located at 7 First Street, which had just opened for business. They approached the counter and demanded the contents of the sole occupant, a female employee, one of the trio brandishing a firearm. The burglars made off with an undisclosed amount of cash and cigarettes, but their direction and means of travel are unknown.

The three suspects are described as male, black, all wearing black clothing.
Police are continuing their investigation and detectives from the Criminal Investigations Bureau would like to hear from anyone who has information to assist with the investigation.

Anyone having further information with regards to this incident is asked to call the Orangeville Police Service at 519-941-2522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or online at www.crimestopperssdm.com.

Drug-related overdoses soaring

The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) is urging residents to be aware that using illicit drugs could result in a deadly outcome. This warning comes in the wake of an increase in suspected drug-related overdose deaths in the Orillia area in the last month.

On February 27, the local health unit issued a warning to the public after hospitals in Barrie and Bracebridge experienced an increase in suspected drug-related overdoses. The culprit is believed to be bootleg fentanyl, a powerful and dangerous opioid that is being mixed into many illegal street drugs. This results in users unknowingly overdosing on fentanyl.

If you choose to use illicit opioids or other illegal drugs, know your source, understand the risks, know the signs of overdose and get help for yourself or a friend if needed. Don’t do drugs alone.

More information on symptoms and responding to an opioid overdose can be found on the health unit’s website at smdhu.org/stopoverdoses.
Anyone who encounters a person who appears to be in a state of overdose should immediately call 9-1-1.

Take-home Naloxone kits and training are available free and without a prescription for people at risk of overdose and for their family and friends. Naloxone can be obtained locally from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health or by visiting a participating pharmacy .