Firearms dealer welcomes amnesty on banned, unregistered guns

Justin Elkington says his Albury business, Elk's Hunting and Fishing, receives multiple calls each week from people who find guns and are unsure what to do.

The overwhelming majority are people cleaning out deceased estates who find firearms.

While amnesties have previously been held during certain periods, a permanent national amnesty was launched on Thursday.

"In the past there's been no way they could hand them in," Mr Elkington said.

"If someone has a firearm out there and it's unregistered, people can be concerned about handing them in to police for fear of prosecution.

"If they're not stored properly in a gun safe, there is the potential for the guns to be stolen.

"You need an amnesty so people don't leave them buried in garages or roofs of houses, or wherever they stash them."

Guns can be now be registered or surrendered at licenced dealers.

People are urged to attend licenced dealers rather than police stations.

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Mr Elkington said his business had received hundreds of guns during previous amnesties.

Law enforcement agencies have expressed concerns about guns at rural properties ending up in the hands of criminals.

There have been a string of cases in the Albury-Wodonga region where guns have been stolen during break-ins and not recovered.

"While the national amnesty is permanent, we encourage members of the public to hand in any unwanted firearms without delay to ensure they do not end up in the wrong hands," Victoria Police Acting Superintendent John Cahill said.

Firearm parts and ammunition can also be surrendered.

NSW Assistant Commissioner Scott Cook urged people to surrender firearms, firearm parts and ammunition.

"Our focus, as always, is public safety," he said.

"We want to reduce the number of illegal firearms in the community, so they don't fall into the hands of criminals, who use unregistered firearms for intimidation and violence."

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