Shotgun disguised as walking stick handed into police

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett with the Shotgun disguised as walking stick

A .410 shotgun disguised as a walking cane has been surrendered to Greater Manchester Police as the ‘Give Up The Gun’ firearms amnesty enters its final few days.

The cane gun, which is estimated at being manufactured in the late 1800s, has a shotgun concealed within the casing. Cane guns were commonly carried in the 19th and early 20th century by gentlemen to use on wild game within their grounds. Now, they are strictly prohibited weapons and are mostly held in private collections and museums.

Assistant Chief Constable Ian Wiggett, pictured with the cane gun, said: “This cane gun is a very peculiar discovery. As a prohibited weapon, not even a license will cover the possession of this item, so the owner did the right thing in handing it over to us, where it will be processed and safely destroyed.”

Detective Chief Inspector Debbie Dooley of the Xcalibre Task Force said: “We are delighted with the progress of the amnesty – it’s been a great success so far and the range of weapons we have received has been eye-opening.

“In the wrong hands, firearms are incredibly dangerous and we would urge people to come forward and take advantage of the last few days of the amnesty, no questions asked.”

The firearms amnesty was launched on 12 July 2014 and is due to finish at 11.59pm on Saturday 26 July. Surrendering unwanted, unlicensed weapons avoids the risk of them becoming involved in criminality and means that members of the community can dispose of firearms in a safe place.

Until Saturday, those surrendering firearms will not face prosecution for the illegal possession and they can remain anonymous. During the fortnight there has also been a change in legislation which makes it illegal for certain people to hold weapons such as antique firearms.

So far during this amnesty, 164 weapons and hundreds of rounds of ammunition have been handed over to police, with a varying range of shotguns, air rifles and hand held pistols surrendered so far.