Suicidal/Homicidal Callers Can Relinquish Guns to Police

[Christine Cione]

Hello Counselors,

We have had an uptick on the hotlines with callers who are not only suicidal, but presenting with homicidal thoughts too.  In addition, we have noticed that callers have access to weapons, and sometimes, they are genuinely fearful to have those weapons in their possession.   We do what we can to have them create distance between themselves and the means.  However, this is not always successful.

It could be helpful if we explain, to certain callers, that they can, in fact, relinquish any guns in their possession to their local police precinct.  I was told by a former detective that a person can go to a local precinct with the firearms and relinquish them without consequences.  The police would ask for the person’s name, date of birth and address.  It does not matter if the person is not a licensed firearm owner, and it does not matter if the gun is registered to someone else.  The police care if the gun was linked to a crime.  If it is not linked to a crime, then there will be no further questions asked.  The person ideally should place the firearm in a box. If they are fearful to bring it to the precinct, they can call 911 and the police will come and collect the firearm.

I know that for some callers, this would not be a great option for various reasons. However, if you feel that the person genuinely wants to rid themselves of a firearm, they should at least be given the knowledge of what can happen if they decide to hand them over to police.   I guess it goes without saying that the person should not tell the police that they have suicidal or homicidal thoughts, as that could lead to an involuntary hospitalization.   However, this is an option for those who need to create extreme distance between themselves and the means for suicide or homicide.

If you have more questions, I can get you more answers.  Thank you for your attention to this.

-Christine

 

[Author]

Posts