Staffordshire Police are urging members of the public who own four types of blank firing firearms to hand them in as part of a national amnesty. The amnesty is being coordinated by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC).
The guns in question are top-venting blank firers (TVBF); these have a fully blocked barrel and are designed to only fire blank cartridges. They can be held legally in the UK by anyone over 18 as long as they are not readily convertible to fire live ammunition. Four makes of TVBFs manufactured in Turkey are identified by the police as being illegal under the Firearms Acts of 1968 and 1982: Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow.
Importers and retailers have been instructed to cease trading in these models and Border Force will impound any being imported into the country.
Superintendent Matt Derrick, head of operations at Staffordshire Police said: “I would ask and encourage anyone in possession of one of the four types of top-venting blank firearms to safely surrender it at one of our designated police stations.”
Gun crime: the national firearms picture
Since 2021 police forces across the UK have recovered 800 TVBFs that have been converted to fire live ammunition. Such is their popularity with criminals, they have been implicated in a growing number of incidents involving the use of firearms.
Announcing the amnesty in October 2024 Diana Johnson, 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.”
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.” He added that protecting the public from the threat posed by firearms was a key priority for the NCA, and that they would be working closely on this with partners in the police and the Border Force as well as retailers and importers.
Data from the NCA shows that between April 2013 and March 2023 there were 58,584 firearms offences committed in the UK. Over the same period there were 275 fatal injuries caused by firearms. This included all such deaths, not just those that occurred due to criminal activity.
Overall levels of gun crime in the UK remain low, but data published by the Royal United Services Institute in 2024 shows that levels of gun offences have been rising in recent years. The increase has been driven by the growing use of blank firing weapons that have been converted.
Where to surrender guns in Staffordshire
Superintendent Derrick said that by supporting the amnesty the public will be “helping to keep their communities safe” by removing these weapons from circulation.
Firearms can be handed in at police stations in Burton, Cannock and Longton between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.
The amnesty will apply between the 3rd and 28th February. The public can also contact the police by calling 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 to report concerns relating to gun crime.
