Corporal Jesse Foreman may pack a pistol, but he isn't particularly a big fan of them and he definitely doesn't want to see one being carried into the RCMP station during this month's gun amnesty campaign.
"Don't bring guns to the detachment," Foreman said Friday. "We are more than happy to pick them up. Call us and we'll work around your schedule. We don't want people driving around with guns."
The provincewide gun amnesty runs for the month of June and is designed to get as many unwanted guns out of the community as possible.
"What do kids play with? Guns," he said. "The less of them there are on the streets the better."
During the amnesty, residents will be able to safely dispose of unwanted, documented or undocumented firearms, weapons and ammunition that have not been used in a criminal offence, without facing weapons-related Criminal Code charges.
"This is a golden opportunity," Foreman said. "There are hundreds of guns out there where people are wondering what to do with them. There are lots of people who are widowed into guns or a father will have a prize gun collection willed to his kids and they don't want anything to do with them."
Although police are hoping for a strong response to their appeal, they stress that guns used in crimes are not eligible for the amnesty.
Anyone who would like to get rid of an unwanted firearm should call the Oceanside RCMP non-emergency number at 250-248-6111.