– Our fear is that weapons end up in environments that shouldn’t have them, says Tom Eklund in the Agder police district. On 1 January this year, a weapons amnesty was introduced in Norway. It lasts until 1 June. In Agder, around 20 weapons have been handed in since it started this year. A total of 56,000 illegal weapons were handed in during the three previous gun amnesties. The last was in 2017. Among the things that have entered Agder so far this year are old shotguns and several revolvers. – There are too many weapons in circulation that we have no control over. It is unfortunate for society, says Eklund. He estimates that there are several thousand such weapons in Southern Norway alone and hopes many will contact the police and book an appointment for handing them in. This old revolver has been handed in one of the last few days to the police in Agder. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news Several of the shotguns they have received are so old that there was no requirement for registration when they were acquired (before 1990 journ.anm.). The amnesty also applies to ammunition, explosives and grenades, as well as to illegal weapons that are not firearms. These can be electric shock weapons, knives, tear gas and throwing stars. Don’t bring explosives Eklund in the Agder police district says that they generally find that hunters and gun owners in Norway are law-abiding people. – Most of the people who come have got the weapons more or less randomly and want to get rid of them. Illegal possession of weapons entails criminal liability. – All weapons can now be handed in without questions? – Yes, that is a right the public has, but we will probably ask some questions, for example when it comes to weapons from estates. Here we want to know the history to zero out the weapon cards they had. Then it is up to the audience if they want to answer. Tom Eklund in the Agder police district believes they will bring in hundreds of unregistered weapons in the next five months. Photo: Kjetil Samuelsen / news People who wish to hand in unregistered weapons should contact the nearest police station in advance to make an appointment. This is to avoid appearing armed at a police station. Explosives, hand grenades and other military effects must not be taken with you. – Then the police should be contacted on 02800 to agree how it should be handled, says Eklund. Many inherit weapons Experience shows that it is usually weapons from the Second World War, inherited weapons or weapons from estates that are handed in. Eklund encourages elderly people who have guns, but no longer use them for hunting, for example, to settle their estate before it is too late. – We have a lot of work to do with cleaning up the weapons of people who die. These weapons were among those handed in during the previous weapons amnesty, in 2017. Photo: Hans Christian Eide / news Fears a lack of knowledge Sindre Lindstølen is a young hunter with a good knowledge of the laws and regulations surrounding the possession of weapons. He is afraid that there are many people with a lack of knowledge. – There are probably many people who do not know that weapons must be registered on you, or that you must have a valid loan statement, says Lindstølen. He thinks it is serious that several thousand weapons in Agder are not properly registered. – It is scary. Weapons are dangerous so it is important to have good control over them so that they do not end up in the wrong hands. People themselves are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the rules for keeping weapons. He calls for a digital solution that will make the registration of weapons easier. – Digital weapons cards will make it easier for people to have documentation available. Sindre Lindstølen is a keen hunter and also did shooting when he was younger. Here he is deer hunting last autumn. Photo: Pål Tegnander / news – Can help prevent crime Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl (Sp) recently stated in a press release that illegal weapons are a serious social problem and a risk to society. – The gun amnesty is a very good opportunity for the individual to hand in weapons and in that way contribute to preventing crime and accidents involving firearms, she said. The last time there was a weapons amnesty in Norway was in 2017. Then 8,000 weapons were handed in. There was also a weapons amnesty in 2008 and 2003/2004. In 2008, 13,000 weapons were handed in. In 2003/2004 35,000. The Norwegian Police Directorate informs news that they do not wish to make any estimates on how many unregistered weapons there are in Norway. Justice Minister Emilie Enger Mehl says illegal weapons are a risk to society. Photo: William Jobling / news
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Arms amnesty in Norway until 1 June – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
