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A national amnesty will begin in two weeks for owners of soon to be outlawed blank firing guns to hand them over to police.
Four specific types of top venting blank firers (TVBFs) will be illegal from the end of next month, due to concerns around them being converted into viable firearms.
That’s after tests by the National Crime Agency confirmed there was potential for certain Turkish-made TVBFs to be altered from their original state to fire live ammunition.
It will be illegal for anyone to have one of these blank firing guns in the UK from the start of March – with anyone found with one in their possession facing the possibility of up to ten years in prison.
Owners of these TVBFs are being forewarned ahead of this law change, however, and will be given the chance to surrender these weapons to the police without worrying about getting into any trouble.
Nottinghamshire Police will join other forces across the country in taking part in an amnesty, running from Monday 3 February to Friday 28 February.
People can hand these blank firers in over the counter at selected police stations between these dates, while anyone unable to travel to one of these locations can call the police on 101 to request it be picked up from their home.
The specific Turkish firearms soon be made illegal are models with the brand names ‘Retay’, ‘Ekol’, ‘Ceonic ISSC’ and ‘Blow’, although anyone with a TVBF who is unsure of whether the law change applies to them has been given the simple advice – if in doubt, hand it in.
Detective Superintendent Christopher Sullivan, of Nottinghamshire Police, said:
“It’s important that anyone who owns one of these firearms knows about this law change now, as they could find themselves facing a maximum prison sentence of up to ten years if they’re caught with one.
“By holding this national amnesty, police forces are giving people lots of notice, so there is no excuse for owners not to make the most of this four-week scheme and hand these TVBFs over without any fear of reprisal.
“As Nottinghamshire Police has shown in the past with our regular knife amnesties, this initiative is not a trick, so you won’t get in any trouble whatsoever if you hand in these weapons at any of the chosen stations.
“We’re also aware that some owners of these blank firers will be unsure as to whether theirs is one of the soon to be banned models, so if you’re unsure, hand it in and don’t take the risk.”
During the amnesty, Nottinghamshire residents will be able to pass these firearms over to police at any of the below stations:
Anyone wishing to take part in the amnesty has been urged to use common sense when transporting their TVBF to one of the chosen stations – by placing them in a labelled bag or box and making their way straight there.
While this amnesty only applies to TVBFs, anyone who has any unwanted firearms or ammunition will still be able to hand them in too, as per normal surrender procedures.
Top-venting blank firers are legal to buy in the UK for people over the age of 18 and, in their original state, are designed to discharge only blank cartridges, while they are painted in bright colours to distinguish them as non-viable firearms.
They are, however, appealing to criminals who convert them, due to the large profits they can generate from selling them, with more than 800 TVBFs recovered by UK police in criminal circumstances since 2021.
Det Supt Sullivan added:
"There will be people out there who own these blank firers and have no intention whatsoever of trying to convert them into viable handguns.
"Some may even choose to spray them black, so they look more like the real thing – again, without wanting to use them to hurt anyone.
"My message to these people would be to do the right thing and make the most of this amnesty, so these firearms don't fall into the wrong hands and you can stay out of trouble.
"It is an incredibly serious offence to carry or own an illegal firearm, while doing this puts lots of people at risk of harm – including you and your family.
"While gun crime in the UK thankfully remains one of the lowest in the world, Nottinghamshire Police and other forces nationwide will never be complacent to this, as shown by our involvement in initiatives like this national amnesty."