Amnesty for blank firing guns popular with organised criminals

The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) said the Turkish  models are “very appealing to criminals” and have been used in at least four killings in the UK in the past two years.

TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence by over 18s unless they are readily convertible.

In their original state they have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to discharge only blank cartridges. When discharged, combustion gases vent from the top of the weapon.

TVBFs are sold with at least 50 per cent of their visible surface painted a bright colour but criminals paint them black so they look like an original lethal purpose (OLP) weapon.

Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered 800 of the guns converted to fire live ammunition.

Such is their popularity with criminals, the number of discharges last year from TVBFs outnumbered those of OLP firearms (64 compared twith 42).

The firearms are the Turkish models Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow.

Tests by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and police chiefs earlier this year showed they were readily convertible with common DIY tools without specialist skills.

All models tested were test fired successfully using improvised ammunition of the sort commonly recovered from crime scenes.

The four brands – which the NCA says “overwhelmingly account for the number of TVBFs in UK circulation” – have been shown to be illegal under section 1(6) of the Firearms Act 1982, meaning that they are prohibited firearms under section 5 (1) of the Firearms Act 1968.

Importers and retailers have been informed and instructed to cease trading them. Border Force will seize further importations of the four brands.

NCA Deputy Director Charles Yates, said: “Although firearms crime in the UK is relatively low compared to Europe and is among the lowest in the world, these converted guns pose a significant threat.

“Protecting the public from the threat of firearms is a principal priority for the NCA and partners in policing and Border Force.

“It is crucial that we work with industry partners to prevent any further access to these easily converted firearms.”

Diana Johnson MP, Minister of State for Policing, Fire and Crime Prevention, said: “Dangerous criminals will always look for new ways to acquire weapons, but we remain vigilant in taking them out of their hands.

“These weapons are illegal and it is vital any member of the public possessing these blank firers hands them into their local police station.

“We will continue to keep the legislation on dangerous weapons under constant review to react to new threats and support police to make our streets safer.”

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, NPCC lead for the criminal use of firearms, said: “These firearms are very appealing to criminals and offenders who convert them can generate large profits.

“During the last two years, policing and the NCA have 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.”

The amnesty will be held in England and Wales from February 3 to February 28 for owners to hand in the firearms at police stations.

Possession of one of the guns after the amnesty ends could result in a prison sentence of ten years.