The second phase of the national firearms amnesty has been announced, with a call going out to the general public to report any individuals suspected to have unregistered or illegal firearms.
Until now the amnesty onus has been on urging gun owners to surrender their illegal weapons.
Less than a week ago, Federal Parliament's House of Representatives passed a bill to toughen up national gun laws further, introducing a new aggravated offence for firearms trafficking, with mandatory minimum penalties of at least five years in jail for adult offenders.
A major risk identified by police is that illegal firearms, particularly those held on rural properties in and around the Canberra region, could be targeted and stolen for criminal purposes.
Chief Police Officer Neil Gaughan said that the most recent local seizure as a result of information provided by the public was last month, when a police warrant on a vehicle discovered an illegally modified firearm and more than 100 rounds of ammunition.
He said that Canberrans can make a call or report online any information they have to Crime Stoppers, and they can do so anonymously.
The National Firearms Amnesty was launched in July 2021.
The most recent data from the Canberra-based Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission, whose chief executive officer is former ACT chief police officer Michael Phelan, revealed there were more than 250,000 illegal rifles held in Australia, and more than 10,000 handguns.
The "grey" market - that is, guns that are unregistered and held in private hands - were seen by ACIC as "continuing to be a significant source of firearms for criminals".
"Grey-market firearms are targeted by criminals because they are difficult for law enforcement to trace to the last known legal owner," the ACIC report said.
"Some members of the community still believe surrendering their illicit firearms to police may have adverse personal consequences."
Every few months, an enormous industrial grinder spins up at the Mitchell Firearms Registry and tens of thousands of dollars worth of firearms are poured in.
To date more than 500 firearms and associated items have been handed to police under the amnesty.
The territory's National Firearm Amnesty surrender location is the ACT Policing Firearms Registry at the Exhibition Management Centre, 86 Vicars Street, Mitchell.
