Dozens of potentially-lethal guns surrendered in firearms amnesty

Dozens of soon-to-be-illegal blank-firing guns have been surrendered to police during the first fortnight of a GMP firearms amnesty.

A total of 42 blank pistols have been handed in, alongside more than 200 rounds of ammunition. From March the Turkish-made guns will be illegal due to how easily convertible they are.

As the M.E.N. reported last week, the guns have become the weapon of choice in Greater Manchester's criminal underworld. Cheap to buy, criminals can convert the guns to fire deadly live rounds for just a few hundred pounds before selling them on the black market for thousands.

In the last four years guns which have been converted from blank firers have been used in 21 shootings in Greater Manchester.

Of the weapons surrendered, 17 have been handed in by the public and four recovered during police operations. One man has also been charged in what GMP believe to be one of, if not the first, charge under a new offence of possessing convertible firearms.

The weapon recovered had already been converted. When the new law kicks in anyone found in possession of a converted firearm could face up to 10 years in jail.

Det Supt Joe Harrop, GMP's head of serious organised crime, said: "The response to this amnesty from both the public and retailers so far has been excellent. We are pleased to have had so many firearms already surrendered, and expect to see even more over the remaining two weeks.

“Before this amnesty begun, over a third of all our firearms recoveries since April 2021 were converted blank firers – 106 out of 304 total seized. In the same period, there have been 21 firearms discharges involving a converted blank firer across the region. The last incident was just over a year ago.

"Whilst we haven't had any