Gun amnesty centre opens next week for the area

Residents in Welshpool and across north Powys are being urged to check their homes and safely hand in certain blank-firing firearms that are now illegal, as part of a four-week national amnesty supported locally by Dyfed-Powys Police.

The firearms amnesty will run from February 2-27 and includes a hand-in point at Newtown Police Station, giving people in the area a straightforward way to dispose of the weapons legally and safely.

The amnesty covers five specific BRUNI-manufactured side or top-venting blank-firing firearms which have recently been classified as illegal following testing by the National Crime Agency. Police say the weapons are readily convertible and should no longer be kept, even if they were originally bought legally. Anyone found in possession of one of the identified firearms after the amnesty period could face prosecution and a potential prison sentence of up to ten years.

While Newtown Police Station is one of only three locations in Powys taking part, the amnesty is intended to serve a wide area. Residents from Welshpool, Montgomery, Caersws, Llanidloes and surrounding communities are all being encouraged to use the Newtown station as their nearest drop-off point. The station will accept hand-ins between 8am and 4pm, Monday to Friday, throughout the amnesty period.

Police have said that many of these blank-firing guns may be held in innocence, with owners unaware they are now illegal, or may have been overlooked or forgotten in people’s homes. The amnesty gives holders the opportunity to dispose of them safely without facing prosecution, and those handing in one of the five identified firearms can do so anonymously.

The five firearms covered by the amnesty are the 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 92, the 8mm PAK Bruni BBM New Police, the 8mm PAK Bruni BBM Model 96, the 8mm PAK Bruni BBM GAP, and the .380R (9mmK) PAK Bruni BBM ME Ranger revolver.

Anyone bringing a firearm to Newtown Police Station is asked to place it in a bag or box to keep it out of public sight, travel directly to the station without making other stops, and inform staff at the front counter that they are there to hand in a firearm before presenting it.

Sergeant Haydon Mathias said: “Gun crime in the Dyfed-Powys area remains very rare but we are not complacent about it, which is why we are supporting the national BRUNI TVBF firearms amnesty. Surrendering these weapons now will help prevent them getting into the wrong hands in the future and being used by criminals, so we want as many top-venting blank firers as possible to be handed in.”

Anyone who cannot travel to Newtown Police Station or another participating station during the amnesty period is advised to contact police on 101 for advice or to discuss alternative arrangements. Residents are being encouraged to act before the amnesty closes on February 27.