A TOTAL of 119 firearms of were handed in to Devon and Cornwall Police during the firearms and ammunition surrender which ran from July 20 to August 4.

The national campaign, instigated by the National Ballistics Intelligence Service (NABIS), was supported by other forces around the country as well.

Items were voluntarily surrendered at all ten police enquiry offices in Devon and Cornwall.

Michelle Mounsey, head of the Alliance Firearms and Explosives Licensing Department for Devon and Cornwall Police and Dorset Police, said: “As a result of this firearms surrender, all of these items are now permanently out of potential circulation. While not every firearm is owned with the intent of criminal activity, every firearm can become a weapon in the wrong hands, removing the guns from circulation reduces the risk of danger to public safety.

“The campaign was an opportunity for anyone to hand in illegal, unregistered or unwanted firearms without risk of arrest at the point of surrender and while the campaign is now over, I would encourage anyone in possession of a firearm or ammunition that they no longer want to contact us for safe disposal.”

Information about firearms and firearms and explosives licensing in Devon and Cornwall can be found at www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/our-services/firearms

More about the firearms surrender is at www.devon-cornwall.police.uk/News/newsarticle.aspx?id=f8fb6438-e0dd-4e16-abe1-b63b6a501d88

The breakdown of the types of firearms handed in during the 2019 surrender was:

Shotguns – 23

Pump-action shotgun – one

Rifles – nine

Handguns – 15

Air rifles – 37

Air pistols – 10

Starter pistols – 11

BB guns – eight

Flare guns – three

Replicas – two