For some people who find themselves arranging for the care of an elderly family member, the challenge may take an unexpected twist when grandpa’s old gun is discovered while cleaning out the attic.
From trophies carried home by returning soldiers to family heirlooms tucked out of sight for decades, the question often asked is “Now what do I do with it?”
RCMP detachments regularly get phone calls from caregivers who are now looking after elderly relatives and have discovered a firearm that they might not have known about or don’t want.
“It’s not uncommon,” says Corporal Rodney Wagner of the Chilliwack RCMP. “These folks have complied with the rules and regulations all of their life, but now family is not sure what to do with a firearm.”
The most efficient means of disposing of an unwanted firearm is to surrender it to a police or firearms officer. However, do not take the firearm(s) to the detachment.
“Do not transport firearms to your local RCMP detachment or local authority,” says Corporal Mike Rail, spokesperson for the Upper Fraser Valley Regional Detachment. “Contact us to make arrangements for an officer to come to your location.” Firearms can be turned in on a “no questions asked” basis, unless they were involved in criminal proceedings.
If a firearm turns out to be something that the family would like to keep but not use, it can be permanently deactivated by a gunsmith so that it no longer meets the definition of a firearm.
It is not just unwanted firearms that can be turned in to the RCMP: replicas, non-firearms weapons, and ammunition are also included. During a province-wide gun amnesty in October 2016, one of the items turned in was a World War I mortar shell from France.
For further information on safe disposal and firearms regulations, go to the RCMP’s Canadian Firearms Program page at http://bit.ly/2WOtRSo.