Thirteen converted blank-firing guns were surrendered at Acton Police Station during a four-week firearms amnesty in February (2025) as part of a Metropolitan Police crackdown on the growing use of illegal weapons across London.
The 13 weapons handed in at Acton were among 178 top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) recovered across London, and part of a wider national total of nearly 3,000 Turkish-manufactured blank firers surrendered to police forces in England and Wales.
The Metropolitan Police said the weapons, originally sold legally in the UK, are now considered illegal to possess after new evidence showed how easily they can be converted into lethal firearms.
The weapons have been used for criminal activities in the UK which included the fatal June 2024 shooting of 20-year-old Sebastiaan James-Kraan in Hanwell.
Speaking to EALING.NEWS, a Met spokesperson said: “We understand that people in Ealing and across London will feel concerned about the use of converted firearms. Officers are committed to protecting Londoners and tackling what is an increasingly prevalent issue.
“Of particular concern are a particular type of top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) that are made by a small number of Turkish manufacturers. Previously legal in the UK, new evidence now suggests they are much more readily convertible than previously realised, making them illegal to possess.”
The force said that in recent months it has worked with retailers to identify and contact people who had legally purchased the weapons in the past, before launching the month-long amnesty in February 2025.
The Met spokesperson added: “In recent months we’ve taken steps to take as many of these TVBFs off the streets as we can – first by working with retailers to proactively contact those we believe to have legitimately bought the weapons previously and then through a four week amnesty where members of the public could hand in TVBFs at a number of police stations.
“In total this work has led to us recovering 178 TVBFs. 13 of these were handed into Acton Police Station.”
Nationally, 2,958 blank-firing pistols were surrendered, including 1,887 from three large-scale returns by an importer and two major retailers. The remaining 1,071 were handed in by private owners or smaller sellers.
The Met’s campaign followed a rise in the use of converted blank guns in criminal activity, including several cases in London where they had been used in shootings. Police have warned that possession of such weapons now carries a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Detective Superintendent Tim Mustoe of the Met’s Specialist Crime Command previously said: “We are increasingly concerned about the risk posed by these weapons if they fall into the hands of criminals and those intent on causing serious violence on the streets of London. We’ve already seen their lethal potential in at least two cases here in London. We know they’ve also been used in many other non-fatal incidents too.”
While the amnesty has now ended, police are continuing to urge the public to report any information about illegally held firearms or suspected conversions.
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