Toronto police say more than 120 firearms have been voluntarily handed over as part of a gun amnesty campaign that has been extended until the end of the month.

In an effort to prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands, police are urging Toronto residents to turn in unwanted guns or ammunition in exchange for a free digital camera.

The Pixels for Pistols initiative runs until June 30.

So far, police have picked up everything from prohibited and restricted handguns to hunting rifles and antique rifles.

“A lot of them seem to be getting passed down from generation to generation,” said Staff Sgt. Chris Boddy, the project’s co-ordinator. “People end up in possession of them that don’t really want them or don’t really understand the rules as far as responsible gun ownership.”

“They often just sit in their homes for years, if not decades, and they don’t know what to do with them, so the amnesty program is an opportunity for them to rid themselves of the burden of gun ownership,” Boddy told CP24 reporter Cam Woolley after a news conference Monday.

The initiative is an opportunity for police to educate people about responsible and lawful gun storage. Some of the firearms collected this month were not properly secured in people’s homes. In one case, a firearm was sitting in a closet.

That’s a cause for concern for police because, they say, a gun that isn’t locked up or stored properly in a person’s home is at risk of being stolen and used in a crime.

At the news conference, Deputy Chief Mark Saunders said 70 per cent of all firearms seized by police are smuggled into Canada from the U.S., but some of the remaining 30 per cent are stolen during break-ins.

Firearms and ammunition collected during the amnesty, co-sponsored by Olympus Canada and Henry’s Canada, will be destroyed after they are tested to determine if they have been used in a past crime.

To turn in an unwanted firearm and/or ammunition, people can call police at 416-808-2222 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. to schedule a pick-up time.

Police will then send an officer to the caller’s home to retrieve the items.