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You can hand in Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers at police stations across Derbyshire.
Derbyshire is holding a four-week amnesty for Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers (TVBFs), which are now illegal to possess following testing by the National Crime Agency and policing.
The amnesty is taking place between 3 to 28 February 2025, after which anyone in possession of a TVBF could be subject to prosecution and up to 10 years' imprisonment.
TVBFs can be handed into our enquiry desks at Peartree, St Mary's Wharf, Chesterfeld and Buxton police stations.
Tests by the National Crime Agency and policing, funded by the Home Office, show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers are readily convertible and therefore illegal.
Top-venting blank firers (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.
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 however, criminals may paint them black so they look like an original lethal purpose (OLP) weapon as well as convert them to a lethal purpose 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 homicides in the UK in the last two years. The firearms are the Turkish brands: Retay, Ekol, Ceonic and Blow.
Firearms legislation has not changed; the weapons are illegal to own under the Firearms Act 1968 as they can be readily converted using common household tools and without specialist skill on the part of the person carrying out the conversion. Recent testing completed by the NCA has demonstrated this.
We are asking people to hand in any TVBFs before 28 February 2025
to help them avoid prosecution and prevent these pistols getting into the wrong hands.
Many TVBFs may be held in innocence and ignorance of their illegality or may be overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes.
This amnesty gives holders the chance to dispose of the TVBFs safely by taking it to a local police station and handing it in.
The amnesty for TVBFs will be held for four weeks. Other unwanted, unlicensed firearms and ammunition may be surrendered to police at any time which will avoid the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.
During the Amnesty period, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for the illegal possession 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.
Detective Inspector Chris Barker said: “Gun crime in Derbyshire remains very rare but we are not complacent about gun crime, 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 station 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.”