It is now an offence to use or possess an air weapon in Scotland without a licence.
New legislation means users must apply for permission to keep or sell an airgun.
The stricter rules come in 12 years after two-
Mark Bonini was sentenced to at least 13 years in prison for his murder.
The new law requires anyone owning an airgun to have a licence and a valid reason for keeping the weapon.
Around 18,000 air weapons have been surrendered since the summer.
But police are wading through a backlog of 7000 permit applications.
That will still leave hundreds of thousands of guns unaccounted for – with convicted owners facing a fine or a custodial sentence, or both.
Airgun owners warned over unlicensed weapons
1 January 2017
The British Association for Shooting and Conservation (BASC) Scotland highlights over 400,000 airguns could be unlicensed.
Police Scotland say airgun holders without the new licence must must make arrangements to have their weapons stored in a “safe and appropriate place as per legislation.”
They can either give it to someone who is currently licenced, sell the airguns to a registered firearms dealer or hand it in to their local police station.
Superintendent Derek Mateer of Police Scotland said: “Should you still have an unwanted air weapon, you can still hand it in.
"I would like to remind the public that anyone who still has an air weapon and wishes to keep it must apply for a licence.”