As part of the government’s priority to keep people safe,
the Offensive Weapons Act will make it unlawful to possess
certain rapid firing rifles, specific types of knives and
other offensive weapons.
New legislation, which has been put before parliament, will
see a three-month surrender period for owners to hand in
their weapons to the police and claim compensation.
The Offensive Weapons Act is part of wider government
action to tackle serious violence and keep dangerous
weapons off the streets.
The Act will make it unlawful to possess dangerous weapons
in private, including knuckledusters, zombie knives and
death star knives, and will make it a criminal offence to
dispatch bladed products sold online without verifying the
buyer is over 18.
The government is also recruiting 20,000 new police
officers to keep communities safe, and is making it easier
for police to use stop and search powers for those
previously convicted of knife crime.
The scheme will open later this year and individuals will
be able to make a claim by filling out a form, which will
be published on GOV.UK by the Home Office, and then
submitting it to the police at the time of surrendering the
items.
The Home Office will be publishing standard levels of
compensation for items covered by the scheme. In addition,
claimants will be able to request compensation that exceeds
the standard level by providing evidence of the value of
the item surrendered, such as a receipt of the price paid
or a valuation from an auction house.
Details of the scheme, including when it will start, how to
surrender items and make a claim for compensation will be
published on GOV.UK ahead of the launch.
