Starting pistol amnesty nearing its close

An amnesty for a specific type of sports' starting pistol to be handed in to police stations ends on Friday.

The Association of Chief Police Officers announced the amnesty for the Olympic .380 BBM revolver in April.

It followed tests that proved the gun could be readily converted into a weapon prohibited under the provisions of the Firearms Act 1982.

The amnesty allows anyone who owns one of the revolvers to hand it in to a police station. After Friday, anyone found in possession of one of these weapons faces prosecution and a five-year mandatory prison sentence.

Chief Inspector John Eyre, head of Nottinghamshire Police’s Armed Response Unit, said: “I would urge anyone who may have had links with athletics clubs or similar sports groups, and who may have owned one of these revolvers for perfectly legitimate reasons in the past, to check drawers, cupboards and sheds just to ensure they don’t still have one in their possession.

“So far, we have had 20 of these revolvers handed in, not all of which are the exact model specified by the amnesty. But if there are any others within the county, you have just seven days to take it to your nearest main police station.”