Kent Police is urging the public to surrender illegal firearms during a month-long national amnesty aimed at removing dangerous weapons from the streets. The amnesty, which runs from Monday 3 February to Tuesday 28 February 2025, specifically targets a type of illegal firearm – top-venting blank-firing (TVBF) weapons.
While blank-firing weapons are legal to purchase in the UK, certain models – specifically from Turkish brands Blow, Ceonic, Ekol, and Retay – can be converted into viable firearms, making them illegal. During the amnesty, individuals who voluntarily hand in one of these firearms will not face prosecution for possessing it.
However, once the amnesty ends, those found with a converted TVBF could face arrest and a maximum prison sentence of 10 years.
Residents of Kent can hand in these illegal firearms at designated police stations, including:
- Canterbury – Old Dover Road
- Folkestone – Bouverie Road West
- Maidstone – Palace Avenue
- Margate – Fort Hill
- Medway – Purser Way, Gillingham
- North Kent – Thames Way, Northfleet
- Tonbridge – Pembury Road
Kent Police advises anyone planning to surrender a TVBF to travel directly to the police station, ensuring the firearm is concealed at all times, even in public or at the station until asked to remove it.
Detective Chief Inspector Martin Davies of Kent Police said: “We anticipate that many of those who own these firearms are unaware that they are illegal or have no intention of using them for criminal activity. However, the goal of this amnesty is to safely remove these dangerous weapons from circulation before they can fall into the wrong hands.”
He continued, “Kent is a very safe place, and we want to keep it that way. By encouraging the surrender of these firearms, we are working to ensure that weapons linked to criminal activity or used in violent crimes are removed from the streets. Since 2021, over 800 TVBFs linked to criminal activity have been recovered across the UK, and they have been involved in at least four homicides over the past two years. Once converted, these weapons are highly dangerous and can cause significant harm.”
Kent Police urges anyone who is aware of these types of weapons or who possesses one to take advantage of the amnesty and help ensure these dangerous items are kept off the streets.
