MORE than 30 Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers (TVBFs) were handed over to police during a recent amnesty on Merseyside.
Owners of the guns had until February 28 to hand them in without facing prosecution.
During the amnesty period, Police recovered a total of 34 weapons, with 30 surrendered by the public. Of those, 20 were Turkish manufactured top-venting blank firers manufactured by Blow, Ceonic, Ekol and Retay.
Two Turkish TVBFs were seized as part of proactive policing activities, while a converted Turkish TVBF was found by the member of the public in Everton.
The guns, designed to fire only blank cartridges, weapons could previously be owned without a license unless classified as ‘readily convertible’.
Since 2021, UK law enforcement has recovered more than 800 of these guns in criminal circumstances and converted blank firers have been used in at least four homicides in the UK in the last two years.
On Merseyside, at least 37 converted blank-firing weapons of Ceonic, Ekol and Retay manufacture have been recovered since January 2021.
Additional converted blank-firing weapons have also been recovered.
Detective Chief Superintendent Karen Jaundrill said: "I would like to thank the public for their support during this firearms amnesty, which has helped us remove these dangerous weapons from our streets.
"To the average person, a blank firer can look exactly like a real firearm, causing significant fear and potential harm.
"These particular brands of weapons can also be easily converted into viable firearms without specialist equipment, which highlights why this amnesty was so important.
"Alongside the weapons surrendered by the public, we have engaged with our registered firearms dealers based in Merseyside and recovered blank firers through our daily operations and targeted patrols.
"While this amnesty is over, we continue to encourage members of the public to come forward with information so we can make our communities safer for the decent, law-abiding people who live in areas affected by gun crime."
If you know someone who has access to, or owns any type of firearm for criminal means, call 101, visit Merseyside Police's website or dial 999 in an emergency.
Alternatively, you can provide information completely anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or https://crimestoppers-uk.org/.
