A 16-year-old was arrested after police found a modified gun inside a pizza box at a Gillingham home.
Cops then searched the house. They located the gun inside the pizza box. The gun was a Turkish Retay model. Someone had modified the blank-firing gun so it could fire real bullets.
They charged the teen with firearm possession and suspect him of drug dealing. The charges involve cocaine and cannabis. The boy’s identity remains private. A judge detained him. He appeared in court on Friday, February 28th, and his next appearance is on March 28th.
Kent Police received many guns in February during a national amnesty. People turned in fifteen TVBF firearms and fifteen imitation guns. Citizens also gave up 290 blank rounds. Additionally, someone found a WWI-era revolver in their attic.
It’s legal to buy top-venting blank guns in the UK. However, some Turkish brands, including Blow, Ceonic, Ekol, and Retay, are easily modified. Conversion makes these guns illegal.
According to Kent Police, authorities have recovered guns. Since 2021, police found over 800 modified TVBF guns linked to criminal activities. These guns factored in at least four homicides and represent a serious threat. Police want to keep them out of criminals’ reach.
Many people surrendered these firearms. Some may not have known the guns were illegal. The amnesty helped police keep guns out of the wrong hands, contributing to Kent being a safe place where gun crime doesn’t occur often.
Amnesties like this are helpful in keeping Kent safe.