Halifax asks residents to trade in unwanted, unregistered guns for bus tickets

Halifax is asking residents to trade in guns for bus tickets.

The municipality launched a promotion today that encourages people to turn in unwanted and unregistered firearms in exchange for Halifax Transit tickets.

Halifax Transit says it will provide 50 bus tickets in return for each firearm turned in during the campaign, up to a maximum of $5,000.

The Fares for Firearms gun amnesty offers people who hand in weapons the ticket payback on a first-come, first-served basis over the next two weeks.

Mayor Mike Savage says taking one gun out of the wrong hands should improve public safety in a city that has seen a rash of shootings in the last few months.

The municipality says 194 firearms were turned in to police for disposal last year.