Northamptonshire Police say people may not realise firearms laws have changed
A firearms amnesty is ongoing until next month including blanks firing imitation guns after a recent change in the law.
As Northamptonshire Police undertake a five week long firearms amnesty they tell us some people may not realise blanks firing guns are now illegal.
It follows a law change regarding some of types, which criminals have been converting into lethal weapons.
Chief Inspector Ian Wills is part of the Central Operations department at the Northants Force.
He's been telling us many people may unwittingly have a firearm on them which is no longer legal following testing earlier this year by the National Crime Agency.
"A number of blank firing type weapons have been reclassified as prohibited. And this is mainly due to their ease in conversions into a lethal barreled weapon.
"So in the original state, they would have been had a fully blocked barrel and a design to discharge a blank cartridge, and they've historically been used such as sort of to start races in starting pistols or props for TV and re-enactments, and these have currently commonly been purchased for innocent purposes, so I believe they may be owned by persons who do not know that they are now illegal."
Between now and October 5th anyone with a firearm that falls into a number of category's is asked to contact Northants police on 101 to arrange for collection of the weapons. Or to pre-arrange to have those items dropped off to designated police stations.
Chief Inspector Ian Wills explains the guns they are calling for to be handed in:
"Any illegally held guns and or ammunition. So it's important to point out ammunition falls part of this amnesty as well, any kind of imitation, firearms, air guns, top venting or blank firing weapons.
"We'd also come and happily take any kind of like Taser or stun guns, CS, guns, that kind of thing, and really sort of firearms that people may have been asked to hide or may have been asked to sort of have possession of by by other people. Any other kind of unwanted guns or ammunition, including air weapon types or even imitations."
Chief Inspector Ian Wills says the amnesty is about safety:
"We want to raise awareness of the dangers of illegally held firearms and ammunition, and we're asking the public to hand in these weapons completely anonymously during this five weeks of the surrender campaign.
"We also know that firearms and ammunition don't recognise county boundaries and every firearm that's given up is 1 less that a criminal can potentially access and use to cause any kind of or damage or fear within our communities."
The force say that gun violence is very minimal in the UK and Northamptonshire, but if anyone is unsure of the rules around guns they own they can contact their Firearms Licencing Department.