Greater Manchester Police have unveiled a large assortment of weapons as they encourage people to join in a two week gun amnesty starting tomorrow in an attempt to reduce gun and gang crime. Displayed in the pictures are the shocking array of handguns and rifles seized in previous raids or handed in voluntarily.
The last such amnesty in 2008 took more than a thousand guns out of circulation. Since such time gun and gang crime appears to have fallen dramatically in Manchester .
3D Printed Guns
Police want any guns including air weapons, BB guns and ammunition as well as weapons made from 3D printers to be handed in during the amnesty which begins tomorrow. 3D printed guns have been successfully fired in the US although experts say they are more likely to explode and hurt the holder than propel a bullet into a target.
Individuals will not be prosecuted for illegal possession of any weapons during the amnesty. People are being urged to hand them in at any police station across Greater Manchester and this can be anonymously should they so wish.
Detective Inspector Dooley commented:
“Gun crime in Manchester continues to fall year on year since the last amnesty we held in 2008.
“This is a result of continued efforts from the force and our partners working together to safeguard, educate and intervene at the earliest opportunity.”
The father of Manchester’s last fatal gang shooting victim has backed the amnesty and warned of the ‘scary’ risk posed by weapons produced by 3D printers.
Fathers Against Violence
James Gregory, 42, whose son Giuseppe was shot aged 16 in 2009, urged anyone holding guns to hand them into Greater Manchester Police. Now a director of the anti gang group Fathers Against Violence Mr Gregory pointed to the latest threat on the horizon:
“3D printing is quite scary.
“There is every possibility that this could be the new threat in the future. With technology moving on, simplifying itself and becoming cheaper, it is always an option for some.
“I hope this gun amnesty makes a massive difference, I really do. For someone who has lost a child through a weapon it is devastating so if someone wants to hand a weapon in I would encourage that.”
