Pixels for Pistols, a gun amnesty initiative where citizens can trade in their guns and receive a digital camera, is already having a positive effect, Ottawa police say.
The campaign, the first of its kind in Ottawa, originally took place from Oct. 7 to 20 has now been extended for two weeks
until Nov. 3.
The police work with Henry’s camera store. Anyone who hands in a gun can pick up an Olympus digital camera and get a discount rate for a photo lesson at the store’s photography school.
Pixels for Pistols has been running in Toronto since 2008. It was started in Ottawa this year. Last year 918 guns were reported as stolen in Ontario, according to police.
“Every city that the partnership has been involved in so far has been positive in all avenues,” says Const. Chuck Benoit of the
Ottawa police.
As of Oct. 20, police had processed 549 guns from the Ottawa area as part of the amnesty. This includes 105 handguns, 401 rifles, 36 air guns and four replicas.
Ottawa residents who have an unwanted gun around the house or do not have the correct licensing, can call police, who will send an officer to collect it.
“We get calls from all kinds of people,” Benoit says. “They could be handing in their weapons that are family heirlooms, weapons that haven’t been used, or if a person is worried about a relative’s mental stability, they might not want them to have a weapon in the house.”
Ottawa police want to stress that people cannot bring a gun into the police station to hand in.
“Once a patrol officer arrives, he seizes everything, he takes the information of the person giving the gun, he takes the licensing information,” he says.
The weapon is then sent for forensic examination to detmine if it was involved in any crimnal activity.
“The people won’t get prosecuted for owning a gun,” says Benoit, “But they will be if it is discovered that the gun was involved in a crime.”
The amnesty does not provide immunity to any other offenses that may be connected to a particular firearm.
For those who hand in guns, Henry's offers a discounted $75 camera lesson.
Henry’s first got involved in the exchange program after one of their Toronto stores was robbed at gunpoint.
“It really hit home when that happened in Toronto. It showed us how threatening and dangerous a gun can be, and that’s when we became part of the campaign,” says Janet Smith, project manager of marketing at Henry’s.
Earlier this year, the Toronto Pixels for Pistols exchange recieved more than 485 guns and 22,000 rounds of ammunition, during the month-long campaign. that began in June.
“The cameras come as a bonus incentive which Henry’s is happy to provide,” Carainn Buchalter, director of marketing at Henry’s says.
“We don’t expect the hunters or gun enthusiasts to hand theirs in. I think the main incentive for people wanting to hand in their guns is because they don’t want their guns in the house.”
“Henry’s involvement shows that outside partners want to get involved with issues in the community,” says Benoit. “We can work together to make Ottawa a safer place."