National firearm amnesty comes into effect to get weapons off the streets

'Show us your guns' was the catch cry announced as the federal amnesty was revealed on Thursday.

It comes four years on from the last federal amnesty which saw more than 57,000 weapons surrendered - almost half of those were in NSW.

In the 2017 three-month amnesty, 611 firearms were surrendered in the Oxley police area as well as 15 prohibited weapons and 45 other firearm parts including barrels and stocks.

In Tamworth alone, almost 400 firearms were handed into police including shotguns, rifles and pistols.

READ ALSO:

The new amnesty, announced by the federal government, aims again to remove such weapons from the community where they could fall into the hands of criminals.

"Unregistered firearms are a threat to our community," Assistant Minister for Community Safety Jason Wood said on Thursday.

"They are difficult to trace and can fall into the hands of criminals to commit terrible crimes while avoiding police detection."

Anyone holding an unregistered firearm or firearm-related item can from Thursday surrender it to a police station, anonymously and without penalty, for registration, sale or destruction.

Licensed firearms dealers will also be able to accept surrendered firearms in most states and territories.

"If you have an unregistered firearm and you want to keep it, hand it in and see if you can register it," Mr Wood said.

"If you don't want to keep your firearm, hand it in. Your community will thank you."

But if a person does not surrender an unregistered firearm and is found holding one, they could be prosecuted.

The last national firearms amnesty in 2017 resulted in more than 57,000 weapons being handed in across Australia.

This amnesty will be permanent, the government said, and no compensation for surrendered weapons will be paid.

People surrendering weapons to police or a dealer should call ahead and deliver the items in a bag or other covering, unloaded.

Australian Associated Press

Our journalists work hard to provide local, up-to-date news to the community. This is how you can continue to access our trusted content: