90 unlicensed firearms no longer have the potential to fall into the hands of criminals as they have been taken off the streets of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
The force supported a national firearms surrender campaign to remove unlicensed weapons from communities and prevent them being used for criminality, with 90 ‘potentially viable’ firearms and 50 submissions of ammunition surrendered.
In total 215 items/weapons including shotguns, BB guns, air weapons, imitation firearms and ammunition were handed into police stations between Thursday 12th May and Sunday 29th May 2022. The haul included a possible M16, 2 pump-action shotguns, an AK47 replica and a walking stick shotgun.
Detective Chief Inspector Dave Storey of Hampshire Constabulary has said:
“Our key aim with the surrender was for the removal of firearms and ammunition in order to reduce overall gun harm within our communities.
“We’ve seen 90 ‘potentially viable’ firearms were surrendered which is 90 less weapons to fall into criminal hands and be used during the course of serious offences.
“These deactivated weapons cannot now be reactivated. In addition, these weapons present no distinction between real and imitation firearms, which present a deadly risk to persons using them when the police respond to an incident. The AK47 and M16 being relevant examples of such weapons.
“It’s really important that we continue to build on public safety by providing opportunities for the safe surrender of weapons like this and by reminding the public to check their licences.”
Article continues below this advertisement “I wish to remind members of the public that it is against the law to be in possession of an unlicensed firearm, regardless of how you acquire it and are reminded that firearms can be surrendered to the police at any time. If anyone has any doubt, we have specially trained officers across the county who can make unlicensed weapons safe and remove them.”
“The campaign has been a huge success and we would like to thank the public for their cooperation and contributions. Thankfully firearm offences remain at historically low levels in Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, but by removing more than 200 weapons, as well as ammunition, this initiative will help keep our communities safe and prevent firearms from falling into the wrong hands.”
Quite a few in that picture do not even require a licence – like the replicas and flare pistol and the numerous air rifles in there. And the highly impractical flintlocks are not really going to be used in a crime (unless you want to dress up like Dick Turpin maybe and find a stagecoach or Hansom cab to rob) – so I wonder what the true number of unlicensed actually is..
Stand and deliver your money or your life!
plato, glad to see I am not the only one to see this as a cheap publicity PR way of reducing the FEAR of gun crime, but in reality doing very little, but it is cheap and allows the naive to sleep a little easier, then no harm done.
It is the kind of people we now have here who have made gun crime so bad, not the amount of guns.
Hence certain areas where more of the type who use guns settle the more gun crime, yet country areas where there are more guns, have less gun crime.
And of course these ones displayed are only the ones that were ‘handed-in’.
Horrifying amount though! No doubt the ones not handed in have been kept back for a purpose? How many still out there?
Frightening
Always strikes me as odd that people cannot ever be trusted to keep a gun at home to protect their loved ones, yet in times of official conflict, suddenly it is all fine and dandy to give real machine guns and powerful weapons to teens and young men to fight other teens and men in wars, which, in some cases, ie the Falklands, the boys and men they were killing on both sides were never going to be a threat to each others families or lifestyle.
Seems ok to kill for Governments, but not to protect yourself or your loved ones or your possessions.
As guns are banned now only criminals have guns.
I’d like to know exactly how many of those were handed in on the Isle of Wight, nit combined with Hampshire.
Contrary to what many people believe, (police included) an air rifle, air pistol or co2 powered bb gun is NOT a firearm as there is no explosion involved in propelling the projectile forwards. The aforementioned weapons are also perfectly legal to own (without a licence) providing they are used/kept indoors or on private land. The term “firearm” is used far too often by police to over-dramatise events.
As is the liberal use of the term “unlicensed” – in some way inferring that they are illegal because they do not have a licence. You try getting a “licence” for an item which has no , and does not require, a licence……..
You’re absolutely correct- crazy, to say the least! You sound as though you may be a shooter like I am. If so, you’ll no doubt know about the upcoming ban on lead ammunition. Supposedly for the sake of the environment, but more likely to make it so difficult for us that we give up our hobby. 🙁
All i see are bb guns and air guns. all of which i could go online and order now?