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500,000 fake guns a year reach Britain
Last updated at 16:17pm on 21.01.08Up to half a million replica guns are flooding into Britain each year just through one port alone, police revealed today.
The imitation weapons, which can be converted into real guns in a matter of hours, are bringing terror onto the UK's streets.
Uzis, Berettas and AK47 rifles are among the huge stash of firearms being shipped in from across the globe by importers at Felixstowe in Suffolk.
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Surrender your guns: Met Chief Sir Ian Blair poses witha real uzi, right, and an imitation weapon at today's launch of the Met's four-week campaign
Though some are sold on legally police fear that most are falling into the hands of criminals who convert them into live firearms or use them to intimidate petrified victims.
Half of all gun-enabled crime, including street robberies, involves imitation weapons that have either been converted to fire deadly live ammunition or look so realistic even police can't tell they're fakes.
Scotland Yard yesterday launched a month-long "surrender" scheme, urging young men and boys or their relatives to hand in replica guns at police stations anonymously, in a bid to stem escalating gun crime.
The surrender scheme was launched by the Met to tackle the easy availability of replica guns on London streets and enforce new legislation introduced in October which makes it an offence to manufacture, import or sell realistic imitation guns.
The maximum sentence for carrying a replica gun in public has also been increased from six months to a year.
BB guns, cap guns, blank-firing pistols, airguns and "airsoft" guns - which fire plastic ball bearings and are used at accredited game centres - are all included in the new laws.
One mother has already walked into a station in South East London and handed in 19 replica guns that she had found in her son's bedroom.
Detective Chief Superintendent Barry Norman, of the Violent Crime Directorate, said that there were 30 or 40 importers at Felixstowe each bringing in about 1,000 guns on a monthly basis.
He said: "We don't know yet exactly how many are coming in. But if you're looking at a thousand a time then the numbers quickly become vast.
"Some of these will be destined for legal means but my assumption is that a great many are destined for illegal outlets. We are doing are very best with Customs to detect this.
"We have a consignment of 'airsoft' weapons sitting in the dock at Felixstowe now. This is about tackling the supply chain internationally, nationally and locally.
Mr Norman revealed he once found an imitation gun in his own teenage son's bedroom a couple of years ago as he cleared out the room when his son left to go to university.
He said: "It horrified me. I was terrified it was real. I was relieved that it wasn't but that relief was followed by the realisation that he must have walked the streets with it to get it here."
The Met is launching a crackdown on market stalls and shops where replica guns are mainly sold. Officers will carry out test purchases on companies selling them on the internet and prosecute suppliers.
Commissioner Sir Ian Blair said: "Imitation weapons cause fear and distress on our streets and I would urge our communities to take this chance to get rid of them.
"Every gun handed in is one less that can be used for violence and intimidation. Whilst overall crime in London has significantly decreased this campaign is aimed at young people whose lives are being blighted by gun culture and imitation firearms are an intrinsic part of that."
The Met is also distributing 600,000 leaflets in "priority" boroughs urging people to hand in the weapons.
Commander Shaun Sawyer said: "Whether it belongs to you, your son or daughter, brother or sister, friend or partner, by handing it in you will be taking one more weapon out of circulation."
Guest rose to fame the Nineties, appearing as a Page three girl in The Sun and men's magazines like Loaded and FHM.
Reader views (8)
i am a child and i have a cousin who gave me an air rifle but i haven't even used it and the lies about converting them are rubbish the government should just make prison sentences harder and pay police officers for finding the guns that would solve the problem as for this story it is lies lies and lies.
- Joe Gidman, Bradford
This, is so stupid. It is impossible to convert an airsoft gun into a real steel firearm, as airsoft replicas have no ejection ports. Also, the firing mechanism AND the barrel would need to be converted, which would be almost impossible for a person without a firearms certificate to obtain! Therefore they would have to change absolutely everything in the gun except the stock, which could be obtained far cheaper, and quicker online, than it would be to buy an airsoft gun.
- Sam Tasker, Kings lynn England
A REPLICA weapon has never killed anyone. Real weapons don't kill anyone. Its the person behind the trigger that does the killing either by accident or by intent. Spending time and money on think tanks, research groups, polls etc on removing the RIFs from the public will not solve anything. As mentioned, criminals will just resort to getting real guns, which cost less than air soft rifles. And don't forget the deactivated guns. A weapon designed to kill but then made unable to fire can be found/sold or purchased suffers less scrutiny from the government or media than a toy replica! Stop trying to grab headlines for the government and consider the real issues before wasting anymore of the taxpayers hard earned money.
- Kl, Croydon
Imitation guns can not be turned into real guns, it would blow up in your hand. Imitation guns are not made in the same way real guns are.
This is once just another story aimed at the total banning of all firearms in the UK.
- Gary, Tampa USA
The VCRA bill was brought in to try and stop the possession and purchase imitation fire arms without a license. This is clear failure by the MET to enforce this law.
"The imitation weapons, which can be converted into real guns in a matter of hours, are bringing terror onto the UK's streets." This fact is completely untrue and always has been. There was a scare in Japan where a rumor sparked the withdrawal of an entire range airsoft rifle. Any rumor that states that airsoft/bb weapon can be changed to a firearm is completely false, the immense pressure needed in the fireing of any kind of bullet or large projectial just cannot be subjected in a airsoft weapon. The thing would just break! They cannot be changed in mere hours! You would need to unscrew the top sites and put a whole real gun under it!
- Matt, London
As most reasonable, sensible people will know, it would be very difficult to change an airsoft weapon into a real one. I would be interested in you publishing an article which proved this.
- Joe, London, UK
The problem is, taking harmless airsoft an BB guns off the streets will only force criminals to get REAL guns, which are going to make things worse.
What we need is tougher sentances on carrying firearms, either real, replica, or otherwise, on the streets without good reason. The people that play with the 'airsoft' guns at 'accredited game sites' are likely to need to take them out to transport them, but when else are you going to need a gun on the street?
Sadly yet another knee jerk reaction from the government, and misinformation from journalists country wide that these guns can be 'converted' to fire real ammunition, which they can't, not by a long way.
- Dave, Norfolk
Potentially illegal? Since when is that news...if a plastic fork is used in violence then it to is a potentially illegal weapon.
- Daveb, London
