To mark its centennial, Toronto-based Henry’s Cameras decided to give back to the community by teaming up with the Toronto Police Service for the gun amnesty program Pixels for Pistols.

Starting in October, Toronto residents who surrendered operational firearms to the Toronto Police Service received a Henry’s gift card for a Nikon digital camera in addition to photography lessons at Henry’s.

‘We tried to think of something that would be beneficial to the community,’ explains Max Payne, marketing director for Henry’s Cameras. ‘This is what we came up with, and it’s been wildly successful.’

The amnesty was promoted on Henry’s website (henrys.com/pixelsforpistols) and at a press conference at Toronto Police HQ. Originally scheduled to run until Nov. 23, it was extended by a week due to the successful results. At press time, 549 firearms, 13,440 rounds of ammunition and 1,170 boxes of ammunition had been turned over to police.

Sgt. Chris Boddy of the Toronto Police Service is pleased with the haul. ‘People in Toronto are realizing that their homes aren’t the best places to have firearms,’ he says. ‘And there’s an incentive to get value for their property, rather than just giving it away. They are going to walk away with a Nikon digital camera.’

In exchange for an operational handgun, machine gun or assault rifle, Torontonians received a Nikon Coolpix S52, and in exchange for an operational rifle or shotgun, they received a Nikon Coolpix P60.