Police amnesty for Turkish-made firearms as owners warned they could face 10 years in jail

Police aim to take the top-venting blank-firing (TVBF) firearms off the streets, particularly models Retay, Ekol, Ceonic ISSC and Blow.

The four-week amnesty, which starts on Monday, encourages anyone who owns one of the firearms to take them to a police station.

Although they may have been legitimately and lawfully purchased, their possession is now illegal.

However, people will not face criminal prosecution if they surrender them within this period.

People are advised to transport the firearm to a police station wrapped in a bag or placed in a box.

TVBF firearms are readily convertible without specialist equipment and have been used in several serious, criminal incidents around the country, including four murders.

Over the last three years, 61 firearms from the four concerned brands have been recovered in Greater Manchester and they had been converted.

The amnesty only applies to these four brands of blank firers if they have not been converted, but other firearms can be surrendered during the amnesty.

Det Supt Joe Harrop said: “In Greater Manchester, we haven’t had many incidents involving TVBF, but it’s always a possibility, like with any firearm, these could end up in the wrong hands and cause serious harm to individuals or communities.

“We have already done some engagement work with the registered firearms dealers based in Greater Manchester ahead of this amnesty starting, but now we come to the public to ask that anyone who is an owner of these brands of blank firers surrenders them immediately.

“As soon as the amnesty ends, anyone who stills owns one of these firearms could be facing up to 10 years in prison. We have been relentless in our work to reduce the number of firearms discharges across Greater Manchester and seized a record number of criminally used firearms last year; our approach into 2025 remains exactly the same.”

Anyone with information about people accessing or using firearms of any type for criminal means is asked to contact police immediately, either by calling 101 or using the force’s website. Call 999 if the threat is immediate.

Alternatively, information can be passed anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.