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More than 150 guns surrendered in Tasmania

More than 150 firearms have been handed over in Tasmania during the first week of the national gun amnesty.

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Source: AAP


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A haul of 154 firewarms has been surrendered in Tasmania during the first week of the national gun amnesty.

Federal Justice Minister Michael Keenan announced the national amnesty would run from July 1 until September 30 across the country to encourage people to surrender illegal and unregistered weapons.

Some of the firearms handed in across Tasmania include an SKS military style semi-automatic rifle, a .222 calibre rifle stolen in 1995 and a 150-year-old Belgian pinfire revolver with original rounds.

Tasmania Police Assistant Commissioner Richard Cowling says the response so far is fantastic.

"That's 154 unregistered or unwanted firearms that cannot end up in the hands of criminals," he said.

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He said now was the time for owners to hand them in to police or registered dealers to prevent them falling into the wrong hands.

"The fact that a semi-automatic firearm has been handed in shows just how important the amnesty is in getting unregistered firearms out of circulation," Mr Cowling said.


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