South Australians will be able to surrender illegal guns without penalty under a seven-month amnesty beginning later this year.
Under the amnesty, to run from December 1, unregistered or unwanted guns can be handed in to police stations and gun dealerships.
Police Minister Tony Piccolo made the announcement on Wednesday alongside a fearful assortment of surrendered rifles, pistols and machine guns.
"At the moment in Australia there are an estimated 250,000 long guns and 10,000 handguns unaccounted for in the community," Mr Piccolo said.
"In other words, they're recorded as coming into the country at some point in time but nobody has those guns registered."
The state government is also introducing a firearms bill this week to ban outlaw bikies and violent criminals from applying for a gun licence.
"Guns and those individuals are not a good mix - they lead to violence and death," Mr Piccolo said.
A permanent gun amnesty will be enacted in SA if the bill passes parliament.
Victims' Rights Commissioner Michael O'Connell said one-in-10 people killed in Australia die from the use of a gun, and firearms are involved in about a third of all attempted murders.
"It's often the availability of a firearm that contributes to that violence," he said.
Guns surrendered during the amnesty will be destroyed and those who turn in the weapons will not face any penalties or legal action.
"They can take grandfather's gun or the gun that's been kept under the bed for a long time and hand it in - and feel comfortable doing that," Assistant Police Commissioner Philip Newitt said.
"It's about ensuring those items aren't around."
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