¡¡¡¡HARARE, Sept. 10 (Xinhuanet) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe has granted amnesty to illegal firearm holders who surrender their weapons in the next 90 days, the Herald newspaper reported Tuesday.

¡¡¡¡The order came into effect on the publication of the latest government gazette last Friday.

¡¡¡¡"During the period, every person having possession of any firearm or ammunition in contravention of the Firearms Act and anyother law shall surrender such firearm or ammunition to a police officer at any station, which such firearm or ammunition shall, subject to section 4 become the property of the state," read part of the order.

¡¡¡¡The order is cited as clemency order number 2 of 2002: Amnesty in respect of unlawfully held weapons. The firearms and ammunition covered by the amnesty order include fully automatic machine pistols, sub-machine guns or rifles, fully automatic rifles that have been converted into semi-automatic rifles, semi-automatic rifles that are convertible into fully automatic rifles.

¡¡¡¡Any bomb, grenade or missile or devices whether capable of use with firearm or not, including any fuse, detonator or timing device and any low or high explosives.

¡¡¡¡But the order states that during the same period police would still retain their powers to arrest and confiscate illegal firearms from suspects who do not surrender their licensed firearms illegally in their possession.

¡¡¡¡Police spokesman Chief Bothwell Mugariri said some of the people who possessed firearms illegally would have found the weapons as lost property, especially weapons that remained hidden at the end of the liberation war.

¡¡¡¡Other people, he said would have stolen them and some would have failed to renew their licenses. Enditem

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