Two Halifax men — a 27-year-old and a 21-year-old — are facing a slew of weapons charges after police said a search of two homes and a vehicle turned up 72 firearms and more than 10,000 rounds of ammunition.

Sgt. Mike Cecchetto said he'd never encountered such a situation before in his 27-year career with the Halifax Regional Police. The weapons sat on desks, coffee tables, behind doors, on the floors and in the bedrooms of the properties they searched.

"There was a number of firearms that were laying around the apartment that were loaded. None of them were secured or stored properly," he said Tuesday.

"The danger to the public is if anyone with a criminal aspect realized that these firearms are in that apartment, they could be an easy victim to a home invasion or a break-and-enter."

If any of the 72 weapons fired by accident, it could have shot a bullet through the walls or ceiling and endangered a neighbour, said Cecchetto.

The guns are legally owned and registered properly, but the storage was not correct, and Cecchetto was worried about the ammunition and add-on devices for the firearms.

The weapons were taken last Wednesday, when officers searched an apartment and a vehicle in the 300-block of Main Avenue in Dartmouth. Two days later, officers searched a home in Lantz where police say more guns owned by the accused were kept.

'Go beyond the minimum safe storage requirements'

In total, officers seized 72 firearms including 34 handguns, 31 rifles and seven shotguns. Of these 72 firearms, 51 were restricted, and all 62 firearms from the Main Avenue apartment were unsafely stored.

Approximately 10,000 rounds of ammunition were seized.

Both men were arrested on Dec. 10 at the Main Avenue location. The pair are expected in Halifax provincial court on Jan. 20 to face weapons-related charges, including numerous counts of unsafe storage of firearms and unauthorized possession of a firearm.

The investigation included involvement of the National Weapons Enforcement Support Team.

Police say investigators believe the two men are "gun enthusiasts who do not appear to be using the firearms for criminal purposes."

Police advised gun enthusiasts to "go beyond the minimum safe storage requirements of the Firearms Act by using multiple layers of security and making it difficult for others to make your firearm operational."

They say that makes it harder for criminals to access them.