Almost 80 firearms have been recovered, including a home-made weapon from a property at George Town, as part of Tasmania Police's Operation Unification: Illegal Guns Off Our Streets.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A total of 78 guns were either handed in or seized as part of the operation. Thirty six of those were seized, while 42 were handed in at amnesties around Tasmania. Ninteen of the seized firearms were illegal - unregistered with unauthorised possession. The remaining 17 were registered, and investigations are ongoing.
Included in the seized firearms was a home-made pistol found at a property at George Town on Friday afternoon.
An 18-year-old man will appear in the Launceston Magistrates Court at a later date on firearms charges.
The home-made firearm was capable of firing a projectile, police say. It is believed that two other homemade firearms were made byt he alleged offender and one of those firearms has already been recovered.
Investigations into the whereabouts of a third firearm are continuing.
Police conducted 45 targetted searches during the two-week operation which finished yesterday.
A total of sixteen people will face court on firearms related offences.
There is a permanent amnesty for handing in firearms. Under the Firearms Act 1996, any firearm can be handed into a police station and no further action will be taken in relation to possession offences.