Source: United Kingdom London Metropolitan Police
A firearms amnesty will get underway on Monday after new evidence emerged about the potentially lethal risk posed by a particular type of blank firing gun.
The guns, known as ‘top-venting blank firers’ (TVBFs), are manufactured in Turkey. In their original form they pose little risk, but in recent years an increasing number have been converted and have been used in serious violence.
Since 2021, more than 800 have been recovered in criminal circumstances across the UK.
A converted TVBF was used in the fatal shooting of 20-year-old Sebastiaan James-Kraan in Ealing in June 2024.
Three people charged in connection with Sebastiaan’s murder will stand trial in April.
While no gun was ever recovered, forensic analysis indicates that a TVBF was also used in the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Tyler McDermott in Tottenham in April 2023.
In June, four people were found guilty of Tyler’s murder.
TVBFs can be handed in at police stations across London from Monday, 3 February until Friday, 28 February.
This is part of a national amnesty taking place across the country over the same period.
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 by the National Crime Agency and police forces show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers – Retay, Ekol, Ceonic and Blow – are readily convertible and are therefore illegal.
Anyone found to be in possession of one, after the amnesty period, could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.
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 weapons will be examined to determine if they’ve previously been used in serious violence or other criminality.
Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the Criminal Use of Firearms, said: “The top-venting blank firers are used by criminals and can be converted into lethal firearms.
“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.
“Stopping the sale of these top-venting blank firers from being converted will go a significant way to help protect the public.”
While TVBFs can be handed in at any police station during the amnesty, the Met is asking people to aim to go to one of these stations:
- Edmonton
- Chingford
- Colindale
- Wembley
- Islington
- Stoke Newington
- Bethnal Green
- Ilford
- Lewisham
- Bexleyheath
- Croydon
- Bromley
- Kingston
- Brixton
- Acton
- Charing Cross
- Hammersmith
Anyone intending to hand in a TVBF as part of the amnesty is encouraged to check the opening times of the relevant station on the Met Police website. To receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station, phone 101 before travelling.
If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity, you should call the police on 101 or report the information to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
Every call to Crimestoppers is anonymous and potentially vital to preventing or solving serious crimes. Removing an illegally held firearm from circulation may just save someone’s life.