People with unwanted firearms can turn them into local police forces during the month of June.

The provincial government and a number of police forces in Manitoba announced Friday that from now until June 30, 2018, a gun amnesty program will be in effect. That means anyone with unwanted guns can call their local police force and set an appointment for officers to come pick them up.

This isn’t the first time the province has held a gun amnesty program.

“In 2007 and 2010 there was close to 600 unwanted firearms that were returned and approximately 1,200 in 2012,” Manitoba RCMP assistant commissioner Scott Kolody said. “That’s a lot of firearms and a lot of weapons and ammunition returned. We’re very optimistic that when people have a look around their properties they will turn in their firearms.”

Kolody says the majority of the firearms and ammunition collected will be assessed and disposed of, with the exceptions being any guns that contain historical significance or can possibly be used for training purposes.

Provincial Justice Minister Heather Stefanson said this program is important.

“This is about creating safer communities in Manitoba,” Stefanson said. “Call your local police service and please participate in this if you have unwanted weapons in your home or unwanted guns in your home. We want to dispose of them in a safe manner, and police are the ones who are trained to do so.”

Police say they will not press charges against anyone turning in an unregistered weapon, unless it was involved in a crime or reported stolen.

Kolody advised the public to not bring firearms to police buildings or detachments themselves. He says the only safe way to utilize the program is to call your police force’s non-emergency line and set an appointment for an officer to come pick them up.

“Primarily for officer and public safety, we don’t want folks to bring a weapon in unannounced because that always raises our anxiety,” Kolody said. “Certainly if you make the call we’ll have officers to make arrangements and schedule that.”

The Manitoba RCMP, Winnipeg Police Service, Brandon Police Service and Dakota-Ojibway Police Service are all working with Manitoba Justice on this amnesty program.