WATERLOO REGION - Waterloo Regional Police want your guns.

The service has launched a firearms amnesty that begins on Nov. 1. The month-long program hopes to collect unwanted firearms that residents may have in their homes and could end up in the hands of criminals through break and enters.

Supt. Pat Dietrich said the first-ever local program "is not an attack on the lawful hunter, sport shooter or firearm enthusiast" but geared to those who have acquired guns and are no longer interested in keeping them.

There may have been a death in the family and firearms are in the house or a license has lapsed, Dietrich said.

Police ask residents to call the service at 519-653-7700 and ask for dispatch. Police do not want people delivering the firearms to police detachments.

Trained officers will arrange to pick up the firearms from residents' homes, Dietrich said.

"We are not targeting gangs but weapons that could fall into their hands," he said.

Some of the weapons police displayed at headquarters in Cambridge Wednesday ranged from hunting rifles to weapons used by gang members such as push daggers, a modified bat filled with cement and flick knives.

Weapons police will collect include: air pistols, prohibited knives, mace and pepper spray, nunchaku (martial arts weapon consisting of two sticks connected by a short rope or chain) ammunition, dynamite and military items such as mortars and shells.

Other weapons not considered prohibited weapons but firearms police will gather are imitation firearms, airsoft rifles and pellet guns.

Residents need not fear repercussions for possessing illegal weapons as long as they have not been used in criminal activity, police said.

Dietrich said the amnesty program is directed at the general public to reduce the number of prohibited weapons and give people an opportunity to dispose of them safely. It also educates people regarding permits, storage and disposal of firearms.

Residents who call police will be asked for their personal information and will need to sign a waiver to have the firearms removed from their home, Dietrich said.

Sgt. Andy Harrington said a similar month-long program in Hamilton last spring collected 300 firearms. He hopes for the same success in Waterloo Region.

"We are focusing on prohibited weapons. We come across them almost on a routine basis," said Harrington, supervising officer for the guns and gang unit.

Police are also appealing to people who might have some prohibited weapons on display in their home. The mere display is a criminal offence, Harrington said.

Some of the weapons that could be displayed are Shuriken, a traditional Japanese weapon used to throwing, stabbing or slashing.

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"Movies popularize these devices and people go out looking for them," Dietrich said.

A pellet gun that can be purchased at stores such as Canadian Tire or K-W Surplus isn't prohibited but often used in robberies and "it can be difficult to tell the difference," Harrington said.

"These weapons are readily available and used in crimes," Dietrich added.