Hundreds of weapons surrendered to Rotterdam police during no-questions-asked action

Over the past two weeks 262 weapons, including 60 firearms and 650 kilos of ammunition, were handed in to the Rotterdam police. The no-questions-asked surrender action came from a Rotterdam citizens' initiative intended to reduce the number of firearms in Rotterdam and its surroundings, NOS reports

The police are satisfied with the action, firearms portfolio manager Tarik Topcu said to the broadcaster. "The intake is above expectations. We also wanted to stimulate the social debate about gun ownership." The police do not think the surrendered weapons came from the criminal environment, though each weapon is checked for links with crime.

The Rotterdam police received some special items during this action. A Colt dating from the end of the 19th century was surrendered. Such a weapon is worth around 35 thousand euros. Relatives of World War II resistance fighters also handed in weapons. These may end up in museums.

The 650 kilograms of ammunition was surrendered by the brother of a resistance fighter. The fighter was part of the Gladio network, which was established after World War II with the aim to prepare for a Russian invasion during the Cold War.

The Rotterdam police hope that other police units in the Netherlands will copy this surrender action, so that more weapons will disappear from the street and the discussion about gun ownership can be spread.