Amnesty Launched for Turkish Made Blank Firing Guns

Sebastiaan James-Kraan killed in Ealing by one last year

Sebastiaan James-Kraan was shot with a gun converted for lethal use. Picture: Met Police

February 3, 2025

The Metropolitan have launched a four-week amnesty for the type of gun that was used to kill a man in Ealing last year.

Sebastiaan James-Kraan was shot dead by a top-venting blank firer (TVBF) which was converted for lethal use. The guns, which are manufactured in Turkey, pose minimal risk in their original form, but in recent years an increasing number have been converted and have been used in serious violence. Since 2021, more than 800 have been recovered in criminal circumstances across the UK. TVBFs are legal to buy in the UK without a licence, unless they are readily convertible.

A firearms amnesty will get underway on Monday (3 February) after new evidence emerged about the potentially lethal risk posed by a particular type of blank firing gun. Tests by the National Crime Agency and police forces show models produced by four Turkish manufacturers – Retay, Ekol, Ceonic and Blow – are readily convertible and are therefore illegal. Anyone found to be in possession of one, after the amnesty period, could face up to 10 years’ imprisonment.

Three people charged in connection with Sebastiaan’s murder will stand trial in April.

TVBFs can be handed in at police stations across London including Acton and Hammersmith until Friday, 28 February. This is part of a national amnesty taking place across the country over the same period.

Detective Superintendent Tim Mustoe, from the Met’s Specialist Crime Command, said, “We are increasingly concerned about the risk posed by these weapons if they fall into the hands of criminals and those intent on causing serious violence on the streets of London.

“We’ve already seen their lethal potential in at least two cases here in London. We know they’ve also been used in many other non-fatal incidents too.

“The majority of top venting blank firers in circulation were bought lawfully by people with no ill intent. However, we now know what can happen if they’re converted to do harm which is why it’s important that we recover as many as we can.

“I would urge anyone who has one of these weapons at home to do the responsible thing and hand it in at a police station. They will not face police action for possession of the gun at the point of surrender if they do so during the amnesty, but if they choose not to do so now and are found to have one of these guns at a later date, then the consequences will be quite different.”

During the Amnesty period, those handing in a Turkish manufactured TVBF will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and will not have to give their details.

However, the weapons will be examined to determine if they’ve previously been used in serious violence or other criminality.

Assistant Chief Constable Tim Metcalfe, the National Police Chiefs’ Council Lead for the Criminal Use of Firearms, said, “The top-venting blank firers are used by criminals and can be converted into lethal firearms.

“During the last two years, policing and the NCA have identified and disrupted several workshops used to convert these pistols into lethal weapons.

“In the same period, large numbers of converted weapons were recovered across multiple locations, alongside thousands of rounds of blank calibre and modified ammunition.

“One investigation recovered more than 400 converted weapons from a single crime group. There is a strong demand for them evidenced by the numbers imported and subsequent recovery from criminals.

“Stopping the sale of these top-venting blank firers from being converted will go a significant way to help protect the public.”

Anyone intending to hand in a TVBF as part of the amnesty is encouraged to check the opening times of the relevant station on the Met Police website. To receive advice on how best to transport the weapon responsibly from home to the police station, phone 101 before travelling.

If you know of people involved in illegal firearms activity, you should call the police on 101 or report the information to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.