VICTORIA - B.C. residents with unwanted guns kicking around their homes will be able to get rid of them in June.

The B.C. government has declared a gun amnesty for that month, with police departments collecting weapons from the public.

People who want to surrender guns, replica weapons or ammunition can call their local police, who will come and pick up the firearms — people are being warned not to take the guns to the police.

The government says similar programs going back to 1997 have collecting thousands of weapons, including a machine gun and a rocket launcher.

Attorney General Shirley Bond says taking guns off B.C. streets reduces crime and makes the province safer.

The amnesty won't apply to weapons used to commit a crime.

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