Merseyside antique gun surrender sees 14 weapons handed in

The surrender, which ran from November 22, aimed to encourage members of the public to hand in their now illegal weapons and do their bit to keep the community safe.

The surrender follows a change in the law that came into effect on September 22, which made it illegal for certain antique firearms to be owned by members of the public without appropriate certification.

During the surrender police said 14 'viable' guns were handed in, comprising of shotguns, revolvers and self-loading pistols as well as nine blank firers, 12 air weapons and a quantity of ammunition.

Chief superintendent and head of investigations, Mark Kameen, said: "Regardless of whether a gun is viable or not, if one of these weapons was pointed at someone, it would definitely scare them and that is reason enough to take them off our streets.

"In addition to this, the 14 viable weapons we had handed in have the ability to injure and kill someone, again showing the importance of this surrender.

"This change in the law means that those legitimately owning an 'antique' gun can still do so, providing they have the correct licence and those that do not, were urged to take this opportunity to hand it to us.

"I am grateful to those members of the public who have reacted positively over the past two weeks, as well as officers and staff who have all been working together behind the scenes to ensure the surrender is organised and guns are made safe.

"Each and every one of you have been responsible in protecting your loved ones, neighbours and wider community."

If you know someone in possession of a weapon illegally, please contact Merseyside Police via 101 or by Direct Message on social media or call Crimestoppers anonymously.