Samoa gun amnesty

APIA – Police in Samoa have received more than 20 guns in three days as part of a gun amnesty that runs until the end of the year.

The police have announced that no one will be investigated or charged if they hand in illegal weapons, or guns of any kind.

On Wednesday police destroyed around 80 guns that had been earlier confiscated through crime investigations, as a demonstration.

The police commissioner, Egon Keil, says the purpose is to save lives and he hopes many more will come forward.

He says police can come and take the guns from people’s homes if they are too afraid to handle the weapons.

“But we’ve actually had people walk in with rifles and handguns and delivered it to us right in our station, which is pretty amazing.

“If you’ve got illegal weapons with you, this is the time to get rid of them, because we are not going to arrest you, we are not going to ask questions, we just want them off the street”.

Keil says the only legal weapons in Samoa are pistols, shotguns and .22 rifles.

Commissioner Keil said the amnesty is funded by the Australian Federal Police and has a time frame of two months.

The amanesty is part of an overall effort to keep Samoa safe.

Acting Prime Minister, Lautafi Fio Purcell, highlighted the importance of the programme, saying it is a reminder that there are still a lot of illegal firearms in Samoa.

He also encouraged the police to conduct training sessions in Upolu and Savai’i to educate farmers about proper gun use.

Pastor Fa’afetai Fata, of the Apia Harvest Centre Church, who led the prayer before the demonstration, stressed the importance for members of the public to do the right thing by God and the law.

“It is to ensure the safety of Samoa,” he said. “We strongly believe that this programme not only minimises gun incidents, but it will also save lives. That’s the true value of this programme.”

Keil said the programme would not only confiscate illegal guns and renew expired gun licenses, it would also include safety training on gun use.

Pio Valele, of Tuanai, was among the first gun owner to make use of the amnesty programme. He turned in a .22 semi-automatic weapon which he wanted to destroy, saying it was of no use to him.

- PNC