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Sunday, February 9, 2025

These Nottinghamshire police stations to take part in blank firing weapons amnesty

A national amnesty will begin in two weeks for owners of soon-to-be-outlawed blank-firing guns to hand them over to the police.

Four specific types of top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) will be illegal from the end of next month due to concerns about their potential to be converted into viable firearms.

This follows tests by the National Crime Agency, which confirmed there was potential for certain Turkish-made TVBFs to be altered from their original state to fire live ammunition.

It will be illegal for anyone to own one of these blank-firing guns in the UK from the start of March – with anyone found in possession of one facing the possibility of up to ten years in prison.

Owners of these TVBFs are being forewarned ahead of this law change and will be given the chance to surrender these weapons to the police without fearing any repercussions.

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Nottinghamshire Police will join other forces across the country in taking part in an amnesty, running from Monday, 3 February, to Friday, 28 February.

People can hand these blank firers in over the counter at selected police stations during this period. Anyone unable to travel to one of these locations can call the police on 101 to request a collection from their home.

The specific Turkish firearms soon to be made illegal are models with the brand names ‘Retay’, ‘Ekol’, ‘Ceonic ISSC’, and ‘Blow’. However, anyone with a TVBF who is unsure whether the law change applies to them has been given the simple advice: if in doubt, hand it in.

Detective Superintendent Christopher Sullivan of Nottinghamshire Police said:
“It’s important that anyone who owns one of these firearms knows about this law change now, as they could find themselves facing a maximum prison sentence of up to ten years if they’re caught with one.

“By holding this national amnesty, police forces are giving people lots of notice, so there is no excuse for owners not to make the most of this four-week scheme and hand these TVBFs over without any fear of reprisal.

“As Nottinghamshire Police has shown in the past with our regular knife amnesties, this initiative is not a trick, so you won’t get into any trouble whatsoever if you hand in these weapons at any of the chosen stations.

“We’re also aware that some owners of these blank firers will be unsure as to whether theirs is one of the soon-to-be-banned models, so if you’re unsure, hand it in and don’t take the risk.”

During the amnesty, Nottinghamshire residents will be able to hand these firearms over to the police at any of the stations listed below:

  • Newark Police Station, Queen’s Road, NG24 1LJ
  • Mansfield Police Station, Great Central Road, NG18 2HQ
  • Oxclose Lane Police Station, Bestwood, NG5 6FZ
  • Radford Road Police Station, Hyson Green, NG7 5GX
  • Beeston Police Station, Foster Avenue, NG9 1AB

Anyone wishing to take part in the amnesty has been urged to use common sense when transporting their TVBF to one of the chosen stations – by placing them in a labelled bag or box and travelling directly to the location.

While this amnesty only applies to TVBFs, anyone who has any unwanted firearms or ammunition will still be able to hand them in, as per normal surrender procedures.

Top-venting blank firers are legal to buy in the UK for people over the age of 18 and, in their original state, are designed to discharge only blank cartridges, while they are painted in bright colours to distinguish them as non-viable firearms.

They are, however, appealing to criminals who convert them due to the large profits they can generate from selling them. More than 800 TVBFs have been recovered by UK police in criminal circumstances since 2021.

Detective Superintendent Sullivan added:
“There will be people out there who own these blank firers and have no intention whatsoever of trying to convert them into viable handguns.

“Some may even choose to spray them black so they look more like the real thing – again, without wanting to use them to harm anyone.

“My message to these people would be to do the right thing and make the most of this amnesty so these firearms don’t fall into the wrong hands and you can stay out of trouble.

“It is an incredibly serious offence to carry or own an illegal firearm, and doing so puts lots of people at risk of harm – including you and your family.

“While gun crime in the UK thankfully remains one of the lowest in the world, Nottinghamshire Police and other forces nationwide will never be complacent, as shown by our involvement in initiatives like this national amnesty.”

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