A four week firearms amnesty across London which includes Ealing has begun to encourage people to hand in top-venting blank firers (TVBFs).
The Metropolitan Police said the guns, which are are manufactured in Turkey, “pose little risk in their original form” but over recent years they have increasingly been converted and used in serious violence.
Since 2021, more than 800 have been recovered having been used for criminal activities in the UK which included the fatal shooting last June of 20-year-old Sebastiaan James-Kraan in Hanwell.
Three people were charged in connection with Sebastiaan’s murder and will stand trial in April 2025.
TVBFs can be handed in at Acton police station as well as these other locations until 28 February 2025:
Edmonton
Chingford
Colindale
Wembley
Islington
Stoke Newington
Bethnal Green
Ilford
Lewisham
Bexleyheath
Croydon
Bromley
Kingston
Brixton
Charing Cross
Hammersmith
Detective Superintendent Tim Mustoe, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, 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.
“The majority of top venting blank firers in circulation were bought lawfully by people with no ill intent. However we now know what can happen if they’re converted to do harm which is why it’s important that we recover as many as we can.
“I would urge anyone who has one of these weapons at home to do the responsible thing and hand it in at a police station. They will not face police action for possession of the gun at the point of surrender if they do so during the amnesty, but if they choose not to do so now and are found to have one of these guns at a later date, then the consequences will be quite different.”
TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence, unless they are readily convertible.
Tests on the TVBFs by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and police forces found models manufactured by four Turkish companies – Retay, Ekol, Ceonic and Blow – are readily convertible and illegal.
The Met has warned that anyone found in possession of one after the amnesty period is over could face up to 10 years in prison.
During the amnesty period, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for illegal possession and will not have to give their details.
The weapons will be examined to determine if they’ve previously been used in serious violence or other criminality.
The Met also added that to receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station, people should call 101 before travelling.
.){kind=link}