Amnesty sees 45 blank-firing guns handed in

Police said 45 blank-firing guns were handed in during February

Forty-five blank-firing guns have been handed over to South Yorkshire Police during a month-long amnesty.

In February, police forces across the UK took part in a campaign aimed at the owners of specific models of top-venting blank firers (TVBFs).

Tests by the National Crime Agency have shown that four types of TVBFs are readily convertible and therefore illegal. The four Turkish models are Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow.

Det Insp Claire Moss of the Armed Crime Team said these weapons made up a "significant proportion of discharges and recoveries in our patch" over the last two years.

The February amnesty gave owners the opportunity to hand in guns at police stations across all four districts in South Yorkshire.

A total of 34 Turkish TVBFs and 11 other brands were handed in.

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