Legislative Council Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3) 51 3 Parliament of South Australia Legislative Council published Answers to Questions Answers to Questions Gun Amnesty GUN AMNESTY The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY Legislative Council Leader of the Opposition GUN AMNESTY In reply to the Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Leader of the Opposition) (5 March 2009). The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY Legislative Council Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business GUN AMNESTY The Hon. P. HOLLOWAY (Minister for Mineral Resources Development, Minister for Urban Development and Planning, Minister for Small Business): The Minister for Police has provided the following information: The terms and conditions of this and other amnesties held in South Australia allow people, with or without a firearms licence, to surrender any firearm (whether registered or not), firearms parts or ammunition in their possession without fear of prosecution. People surrendering a firearm, firearm part or ammunition during the amnesty are invited to complete a surrender notice which includes name and address details. However, this is not compulsory and checks are not conducted either at the time of surrender or at a later date to verify the person's details. The underlying philosophy is to encourage people who may otherwise be hesitant to come forward to surrender as many unwanted or questionable firearms, parts and ammunition as possible to the safety of police. Amnesties allow for members of the public who may be outside the standard legislative framework to surrender either illegal or unwanted firearms without fear of prosecution. To conduct criminal checks on persons surrendering firearms would be likely to alienate this element of the community from the surrender process. Every firearm surrendered is a positive in terms of prevention of firearms entering the illicit firearms market. With regard to bikies, I am advised that since November 2007, SAPOL's Crime Gangs Task Force (CGTF) has independently seized 115 firearms as part of investigations undertaken by that area. These have predominantly been from Outlaw Motor Cycle Gang (OMCG) members.