Don’t drive that gun in

The PAL, or Possession and Acquisition Licence, is the federal document that allows someone to legally own a firearm in Canada. Without a PAL, or if you simply do not want to keep the guns, many people are unsure what to do next. Cooper says the answer is simple.

“What we would ask that you do is call the detachment at our non-emergency line, create a file and say you have firearms that you wish to turn over to the police for destruction, and a police officer will make an appointment to come and collect those firearms safely from you so that we can destroy them appropriately.”

Please don’t walk in with it.

Cooper says the biggest mistake people make is putting the gun in a vehicle and driving it to the detachment on Victoria Street. This makes the front-counter staff nervous and can put the person transporting the firearm in real legal and physical danger.

“Not only does it make our staff a little nervous when someone walks in with a firearm, just kind of without prior notice, but if you weren’t the person who legally owned the firearms in the first place, you might not know if they’ve already been made safe,” Cooper said. “If you’re not someone who’s, you know, familiar with firearms and ammunition, you don’t know if that weapon is safe to transport if it’s been unloaded appropriately.”

Cooper says an officer can come to your home, check that the firearm is unloaded, make it safe for transport, and take it away. You do not have to touch or move it yourself.

“We would ask that you call the police station and let us come and help make those firearms safe for transport, so you don’t end up transporting something that was unsafe for you to be handling, without even you knowing that that might be a possibility.”

No charges for people doing the right thing

One of the most common fears, Cooper says, is that a phone call to police will end in a criminal charge. Someone opens a shed, finds a rifle, and worries the moment they admit to having it, they’ll be walked out in handcuffs. That is not how it works, she said.

“No, we’re not going to seek prosecution against someone who phones up and says, I inherited or came across these firearms,” Cooper said. “If you have a legitimate reason and we can tell that, you know, maybe someone moved out of your home and that’s something they left behind. Or like we said before, you know, you’ve inherited these through an estate — those are all valid reasons to have a firearm in your possession that you want to get rid of.”

She added: “We’re not going to turn around and say, these are in your possession, and here’s your criminal code offences because you’re trying to do the right thing. And we can understand that.”

Free — but no payout

The RCMP will pick up and destroy unwanted firearms for free. There is no charge for an officer to come to your home or to dispose of the guns.

However, you will not receive any payment for turning in your firearms.

“This is free, although there is no compensation either. So these are firearms that you’re turning over for destruction. We don’t charge a fee for that. But we also — there’s no compensation from the federal government for turning over firearms in this, you know, these particular instances,” Cooper said.

This is different from the federal Assault-Style Firearms Compensation Program, which has its own website, booking process, and rules for prohibited firearms. Cooper is talking about regular firearms that people find in their homes in Prince George.

What if it’s not just a rifle?

Sometimes, people find things much more concerning than a hunting rifle. Cooper says the detachment has seen all kinds of items.

“Yes, if you find something and we have had that before, where someone has emptied out grandpa’s basement and found an old mortar round because grandpa thought it was really great to have on hand — we would ask again that you call us so that we can bring out the appropriate professionals to ensure that that is made safe before it is transported.”

If you are unsure, do not touch, move, or try to inspect the item. Call the non-emergency line and let trained officers handle it.

How often does this happen?

Cooper says people do not turn in firearms every day, but it happens often enough that the detachment has a clear process in place.

“I’d say a few times a month probably. We have people who wish to turn over firearms that they no longer desire to have in their possession. Maybe it was something that you were interested in when you were younger. You’re no longer interested in renewing your PAL. You don’t want to have these firearms in your home anymore, because that’s just not something that you’re doing or that’s not your current hobby, and you want to turn them in.”

“It does happen. It’s not the most frequent of occurrences, but frequent enough that we know how to deal with it.”

Why sitting on them is a bad idea.

Cooper says the safest place for an unwanted or unsecured firearm is not in a basement, garage, or closet. It should be with the police, ready to be destroyed.

“So if you find firearms just sitting in a box in the basement, that is a problem. It creates an issue for police because firearms are often targets for theft. Many criminals get the firearms they use in crimes by stealing them from others.”

“If you have firearms and no proper way to store them, and you do not want them anymore, it is safer for everyone to turn them in and have them destroyed, rather than letting them sit around and possibly be stolen.”

The bottom line

Prince George RCMP say the process is simple:

Do not touch or move the firearm if you are not sure it is safe.
Do not drive it down to the detachment.
Call the RCMP non-emergency line at 250-561-3300.
Ask to open a file to turn firearms over for destruction.
Wait for an officer to book an appointment and collect them at your door.

No fee. No payout. No charges for doing the right thing.

by Dave Branco

Don’t drive that gun in

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