Public urged to turn in Turkish blank-fire guns over gang fears

3 February 2025, 11:03 | Updated: 3 February 2025, 11:06

An amnesty has begun across England to recover blank-firing guns which gangs are turning to because of how easy it is to convert them into lethal weapons.

These Turkish-manufactured Top-Venting Blank-Firing (TVBF) firearms are often used for things like military re-enactments, sporting events and bird-scaring, but because of how easy they are to convert, authorities are eager to get them off the streets.

The amnesty officially begins on Monday 3 February 2025 and particularly covers models Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow.

The four-week amnesty, which runs until Friday 28 February, encourages anyone who owns one of these firearms to turn them into police stations, as even though they may have been legitimately and lawfully purchased originally, their possession is now illegal.

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However, you won’t face criminal prosecution if you surrender them within this period.

Detective Superintendent Joe Harrop, from Greater Manchester Police, told LBC: "It's legal to possess blank-firers, but there are four particular brands which are so readily convertible to lethal-barrelled weapons that, from March 1st, it will be illegal to possess them.

"There's a lot of innocent reasons why people might have bought them. People use them for military re-enactments, sporting events, scare birds, to train dogs, there's a whole host of reasons why people might have them.

"In the last few weeks, we've engaged with a number of registered firearms dealers and importers who may have come across these; we've explained the changes and have already had some handed in.

"These particular four are so readily convertible, anybody can do this at home using basic equipment you have in your house, can amend them so they become actual firearms. So, they're attractive to criminals; they convert them and sell them for thousands of pounds.

"Over the last four years we've recovered just over 300 firearms in Greater Manchester and over a third of those are converted blank firers. We've had around 30 firearms discharges a year. At least 16 of those have come back as converted blank firers and of all the firearm recoveries we've had to date, 61 are these specific brands. Across the country they have been used in several serious, criminal incidents, including four murders.

"They don't need to be licensed, they can come into the country legitimately, and there are lots out there. It could just be in someone's loft or garage, but they are attractive to criminals, and it's really feasible for these to be taken in a burglary and in a short period be converted into a genuine firearm.

“As soon as the amnesty ends, anyone who stills owns one of these firearms could be facing up to ten years in prison. We have been relentless in our work to reduce the number of firearms discharges across GM, and seized a record number of criminally used firearms last year; our approach into 2025 remains exactly the same.”

Police advise those transporting any firearm to one of the amnesty locations to wrap them in a bag or place them in a box to avoid any undue alarm to members of the public and to ensure everyone’s safety.