EIGHTY per cent of guns handed in at the weekend's firearm amnesty in Launceston had never been registered, Tasmania Police estimated yesterday.
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The mobile amnesty, held at the Silverdome, received nearly 200 firearms over two days.
Tasmania had some of Australia's weakest firearm laws before the 1996 Port Arthur massacre including no requirement to register longarms.
Following the toughening of gun laws, including compulsory registration, Tasmanians registered about 90,000 guns with a further 30,000 handed over for destruction.
Since then, Tasmania Police has maintained a permanent gun amnesty enabling owners the ability to hand over firearms with no questions asked.
Following a spate of shootings in the state this year, police have been more active in raising awareness about the amnesty.
More than 300 unregistered and unwanted guns were removed from circulation due to the weekend's mobile amnesty and one in Hobart in October.
Among the Launceston arsenal was an old Arabian muzzle-loaded rifle perfect for camel-back shooting.
"That's certainly very unique," Hobart Sergeant Peter May said.
"Another one was from the Boer War ... it was handed down from the guy's grandfather."
Sergeant May said the owners came across it while doing up the restaurant thinking it was a replica until police told them it was a genuine firearm.
All guns will now be run through a firearm database to check if they've ever been registered or stolen.
Three of the firearms have possible heritage value and will be further examined with their owners contacted if they do.
Museums and RSLs around the country will also be contacted to see if they want them.
The rest will be destroyed.
Mobile amnesties in Burnie and Devonport will be held early next year.