We’ve recovered a total of 42 firearms in the first two weeks of a national amnesty aimed at removing Turkish manufactured top venting blank firers (TVBF) from our streets.

The amnesty is halfway through and is already making a significant impact. 

Whilst 21 of these firearms have been seized as part of proactive engagement with registered firearms dealers and gun clubs, we’ve since had 17 surrendered by members of the public to police stations across Greater Manchester, and four recovered during policing operations.

We’ve also had over 200 rounds of blank firer ammunition and several air rifles handed into us.

Out of the four proactive recoveries, one man has been charged, in what we believe to be one of, if not the first, charge under a specific new offence around possessing readily convertible firearms. The weapon recovered had already been converted.

Whilst many people will have purchased TVBF for perfectly legal reasons in the past, they are now illegal to possess due to being so easy to convert and should be handed in to any of our police stations.

Anyone who does so before the end of the amnesty will not face prosecution, but afterwards, you could be facing up to ten years’ imprisonment.

Please click on the following link to read more about this article: Total of 42 firearms surrendered in first two weeks of national amnesty | Greater Manchester Police