Fakes amnesty brings in 100 guns

The deadly arsenal was revealed as police said 100 firearms have been handed in as the weapons surrender reached the halfway stage.

But the force revealed that most of the weapons surrendered are real guns capable of firing live bullets.

They said 87 real guns were handed in by members of the public and only 13 replicas or imitations.

The cache of dangerous weapons included 32 shotguns, most of which were 12-bore shotguns or .410 garden guns, 29 air rifles and 19 air pistols which were either .22 or .177 air rifles. A mini shotgun and an 8mm revolver were also taken and destroyed by police.

People handing in weapons will not generally risk prosecution during the amnesty, but the police will look into the individual circumstances of any real guns handed in.

Today, Lothian and Borders Deputy Chief Constable Tom Wood said he was disappointed at the surrender rates for fake weapons but said he was pleased at the number of firearms handed in overall. He said: "The figures demonstrate how many needless weapons are out there and I hope people will continue to hand them in."

Among some of the weapons seized by the force over the last week include a loaded air rifle being carried by two men in St Mark’s Park, Edinburgh.

Two schoolboys were found to be carrying a loaded blank firing revolver and an unloaded air pistol on a walkway in Granton Road.

And just four days ago, an 18-year-old youth was seen carrying a gun in Shedden Park, Kelso. Police traced the teenager and discovered he was in possession of a replica gun capable of firing ball bearings.

Armed police were called out to Carron Walk, Livingston, last Thursday after receiving reports of youths seen with a handgun. One 15-year-old boy was found to be carrying a BB gun.

Mr Wood said the number of incidents occurring - there is at least one firearms incident in the Lothian and Borders region every day on average, many involving fakes - is unacceptable. "The whole point of the firearms surrender is to get fake or replica weapons off the street before someone ends up seriously injured or killed," he said.

But he added he was pleased that a number of real firearms had also been destroyed .

"Most of the real weapons came from house clearances and such, but we are pleased that, nonetheless, dangerous weapons are being taken off the streets and destroyed by police," he said.

Many of the firearms have been handed in by people who have discovered them lying around after many years.

The latest shotgun to be handed in is estimated to be around 50 years old. A Linlithgow woman clearing out the home of a deceased relative came across the mini shot pistol with cartridges and holster.

One elderly woman has handed in a revolver found as she was cleaning out her house. Another woman found an air pistol dating back to 1960 in a box in her house.

Police said no-one had been charged with handing over a real firearm because "they all had satisfactory explanations" for having the guns.

The two-month campaign runs until September 1.