Gun amnesty pushes for safer communities

Papua New Guinea’s gun amnesty is about more than collecting illegal firearms, with Police Minister Sir John Pundari saying the programme is a national effort to reduce violence and make communities safer.

He says every illegal gun removed from the streets could help save lives.

“This is not just a police operation. It is a national movement for peace,” Pundari said.

The national firearms amnesty gives people holding illegal weapons the chance to surrender them voluntarily, with the grace period ending on September 16, 2026.

Pundari is urging people still holding illegal firearms to use the remaining time to hand them over.

The programme is part of a wider effort to reduce gun violence across the country, with illegal firearms linked to tribal fighting, armed crime and other forms of violence.

Pundari says the problem cannot be left to police alone.

He is calling on provincial governments, churches, community leaders and families to support the amnesty.

“I am making a call for national unity,” he said.

“This programme is not just a police operation. It is a national movement for peace.”

More than 200 firearms had been surrendered by early August, with weapons handed in from Enga and other parts of the country.

But the Government wants more people to come forward.

Pundari says the aim is not simply to count the number of guns collected. The real test will be whether communities become safer.

“If this programme prevents even one massacre, it is not a reward. It is a strategic investment in human life,” he said.

The grace period gives gun holders a final opportunity to surrender illegal weapons voluntarily.

The Government says enforcement operations will begin after the amnesty period ends, with police and other security agencies expected to step up efforts to recover firearms that remain in the community.

For Pundari, the message goes beyond surrendering weapons.

He says Papua New Guineans must choose peace over violence.

The Government hopes the amnesty will remove illegal guns from communities, reduce violent conflict and protect lives.

After the grace period ends on September 16, the focus will shift from voluntary surrender to enforcement.