Rule #1: Don’t approach a police officer with a gun in your hand

An officer's body-cam shows a man attempting to turn in a gun at a traffic stop. Mon., June 29, 2026. PHOTO: SOUTH SIMCOE POLICE

Never surrender: a gun, real or fake to an officer on duty.

That’s the message South Simcoe Police want to share with their community after receiving a weapon by hand Sunday.

An officer was completing a routine traffic stop when a man approached him with a gun in his hand.

Police say, good intentions aside, and the fact that it was a being handed over in a “non-threatening manner” turned the incident into a learning lesson.

In a press release, police state, “The citizen was simply looking to turn over an item for destruction. However, firearms and imitation firearms can look very real and should not be brought directly to an officer in public.”

If you need to turn in a firearm, air pistol, pellet gun, BB gun or imitation firearm:

Call police first using the non-emergency line

Tell the operator what the item is and where it is located – police will arrange to obtain the gun from you

Don’t bring a real or fake gun to a traffic stop, police scene or public place

Don’t approach an officer with a gun in your hand

If bringing a real or fake gun to the station, leave it locked in your vehicle