Amnesty campaign: Record number of weapons submitted to the police

During the month of November, the police received 35,531 items as part of the amnesty campaign, including firearms, knives, blunt weapons, ammunition, and explosives.

During the amnesty campaign, citizens could anonymously surrender weapons and similar items to the police without the risk of being charged with illegal possession of weapons.

With 35,531 items submitted, a new record has been set for the most items handed in during an amnesty campaign. The previous record was set during the most recent amnesty campaign in June 2017, where 24,546 items were submitted.

“We are very pleased that a record number of items have been submitted, and we are immensely grateful that so many citizens have supported the amnesty campaign in 2024. Thousands of weapons have been removed from society and can no longer fall into the wrong hands, which was the main purpose of the amnesty campaign,” said Police Commissioner Sune Fletcher Hjortel from the National Police, who has been involved in coordinating the amnesty campaign.

It is always possible to surrender illegal weapons to the police – e.g., from an estate
Even though the amnesty period is over, individuals can always contact the police to discuss surrendering weapons, such as if they come across weapons among inherited items or in an estate. Outside the amnesty period, the surrender of any weapons does not occur anonymously. However, this does not mean that individuals in such situations should expect to be charged for illegal possession of weapons:

“If you can prove that, for example, you came into possession of illegal weapons in connection with inheriting an estate, you will not be prosecuted for illegal possession of weapons as long as you surrender them to the police as soon as possible. If you come across illegal weapons, do not wait for a future amnesty campaign but instead call 114 immediately to arrange further steps,” concluded Police Commissioner Sune Fletcher Hjortel from the National Police.