Australia: Firearm amnesty yields over 55,000 weapons
Melbourne, Mar 1 (IBNS): Over 55,000 firearms were handed over to authorities by civilians in Australia in last year's national amnesty, reports said.
The amnesty, aimed to decrease the number of illicit weapons, went on for three months.
A rocket launcher was among the weapons handed over.
Australia's Law Enforcement Minister Angus Taylor said in a statement on Thursday, "Taking these unregistered firearms off the streets means they will not fall into the hands of criminals, who might use them to endanger the lives of innocent Australians."
Gun laws are strict in Australia and can attract a penalty of A$280,000 (USD 225,000) if someone is found guilty of possessing unregistered firearms.
According to reports, 2,500 automatic weapons and 2,900 handguns were returned by civilians.
While authorities destroyed one third of the weapons, the remaining were either registered or returned for sale, a BBC report read.
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