Police are urging owners to hand in illegal Turkish-manufactured blank fire guns

Norfolk Police is taking part in a four-week firearms amnesty for Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) which are illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency and policing.The amnesty starts on Monday, February 3 until February 28 after which anyone in possession of a TVBF could be subject to prosecution and face up to ten years’ in prisonTests by the National Crime Agency and policing, funded by the Home Office, show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers can be converted into lethal firearms and therefore illegal. TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible.

In their original state TVBFs have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges. They are sold with at least 50% of their visible surface painted a bright colour however, criminals may paint them black so they look like an original weapon as well as convert them to a lethal firearm.Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered more than 800 of the guns in criminal circumstances and converted blank firers have been used in at least four deaths in the UK in the last two years. The firearms are the Turkish brands: RETAY, EKOL, CEONIC and BLOW.The weapons are illegal to own under the Firearms Act 1968. Police forces nationwide are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before the amnesty deadline to help them avoid prosecution and prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands. Lynn’s St James Street station is one of the county’s police stations where the TVBFs can be handed in – Monday to Wednesday, from 9am to 5pm, and Thursday to Saturday 9am to 6pm.During the amnesty those handing in will not face prosecution and will not have to give their details. However, the history of any live firearms handed in will be checked for evidence if its use in crime, the force has said. Darrell Skuse, firearms and licensing manager for Norfolk and Suffolk Constabularies, said: “Gun crime in Norfolk remains very rare but we are not complacent about it, which is why we are conducting the Turkish Top-Venting Firearms Amnesty after tests have shown they can be readily converted into firearms, therefore making them illegal to possess.“Surrendering top-venting blank firers manufactured by BLOW, CEONIC, EKOL and RETAY now will help prevent them getting into the wrong hands in the future and being used by criminals. We want as many top-venting blank firers as possible to be handed in and I encourage anyone in possession of one to visit their local police public enquiry office to hand them in.“Together with our partners we continually work hard to educate people about firearms and the dangers that come with them, to ensure that gun crime doesn’t become prevalent in the future.” Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, National Police Chiefs’ Council lead for the criminal use of firearms, said: “During the last two years, policing and the NCA has identified and disrupted several workshops used to convert these pistols into lethal weapons.“In the same period, large numbers of converted weapons were recovered across multiple locations, alongside thousands of rounds of blank calibre and modified ammunition.“One investigation recovered more than 400 converted weapons from a single crime group. There is a strong demand for them evidenced by the numbers imported and subsequent recovery from criminals.“Stopping the sale of these top-venting blank firers from being converted will go a significant way to help protect the public.”If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity call police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.