AFTE Store - The Effect of the Legal Status of Blank Cartridge Firing Pistols on Their Use in Crime

Blank cartridge firing pistols have often been used in criminal offences in recent years. However, a significant problem has become apparent in Turkey concerning converted blank cartridge firing guns. The barrel obstruction can be removed and it is then possible to fire projectiles from these weapons with sufficient energy to cause lethal injuries. Since the emergence of this trend, the legislation concerning the manufacture and sale of blank cartridge firing guns has been changed and the 5729 Act was introduced. In this study; the effect of the new legislation on the use of blank cartridge firing guns in crimes and their forensic examination is discussed. It has been found that after the new Act was accepted in 2008 the number of converted and unconverted blank cartridge firing pistols which had been used in crime and subsequently examined in criminal laboratories had reduced. Once the new Act had been implemented in 2009, the numbers of converted and unconverted pistols used reduced further.