Toronto amnesty drive nets 1,900 guns

TORONTO, Dec. 16 (UPI) -- An 8-week Toronto gun amnesty program that rewarded contributors with digital cameras netted some 1,900 firearms, police said.

The Pixels for Pistols campaign collected 542 handguns, 1,355 rifles and shotguns as well as more than 58,000 rounds of ammunition, Toronto Police Department Sgt. Chris Boddy told the Toronto Star.

In tandem with the Henry's chain of camera stores, those who called police to pick up weapons received a voucher for a free digital camera if the weapon was cleared of involvement in crime.

Boddy said the last amnesty program in 2005 netted only 250 firearms.

One collector who didn't want to be identified turned in 20 handguns from his collection of 60 registered weapons he keeps in a steel-fortified gun room.

"They were not fun to shoot. They didn't have a lot of value," he told the Star.

Toronto's socialist mayor, David Miller, is an outspoken advocate of making handguns illegal in Canada, claiming many violent crimes are committed using weapons stolen from homes.