Handmade Guns in Trabzon, Turkey

Abstract

A wide variety of handmade firearms have been involved in criminal cases in the city of Trabzon, Turkey. Although they are often very similar to commercially manufactured firearms in terms of design, loading and locking mechanisms, and cocking and firing arrangements, these guns are constructed from cheap materials and are not safe for firing. Handmade firearms manufactured in the Black Sea region of Turkey, particularly in the city of Trabzon, are similar to pistols manufactured by Browning, Luger, Star, Smith and Wesson, Berretta, and MAB. A total of 201 handmade guns referred to the Criminal Police Laboratories for examination from 2003 to 2005 were evaluated with respect to type, number of barrels, size and caliber, rifling, design, mechanism, operability, legality, and similarity to commercial models. We found that most of these handmade guns resembled commercial models in several aspects.

Homemade Firearm Suicide With Dumbbell Pipe Triggering by an Air-Compressed Gun

“…Homemade firearms are more common in countries where access to manufactured guns is difficult or among poverty-stricken populations in countries where manufactured guns are accessible. 6,19,22 The present case was no exception; French law and rules make manufactured guns difficult to access in France. All of the facts and epidemiological descriptions provided in the forensic and psychiatric literature pertaining to homemade firearm users were present in our case.…”

“…The use of pen guns and handmade guns (such as pistols) is frequently reported in cases of injuries resulting from attempted homicides. 14,15,22 These devices have been observed for short-range firing only. 14,15,18 Zip guns and improvised firearms of this type are small and can frequently be disguised as a pen gun or a cell phone gun.…”

“…7 However, homemade firearms and the wounds they cause are uncommon, and only a dozen cases have been reported in the last 20 years. [8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18][19][20][21][22][23][24] The present study focuses on an unusual case of suicide using a homemade and improvised firearm made with an original combination of a trigger (an air-compressed pellet gun) and a pipe (an iron dumbbell pipe). The second part of this study compares the reported case with the forensic literature concerning firearm suicide epidemiology, homemade gun features, and the features associated with suicidal (complex or not) versus homicidal use.…”

Homemade Heavy Caliber Rifles—Two Unusual Firearms

“…These are often homemade and can cause lethal injuries. Homemade guns are produced in Brazil, Chechnya, Croatia, Germany, India, Italy, Philippines, Poland, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Turkey, and the United States of America . Various types of improvised firearms such as pistols, revolvers, pipe guns, and shotguns have been encountered in the crime and have been reported previously, where it was suggested to collect data regarding various aspects such as design and special features like tool marks .…”

“…Yılmaz et al examined the homemade guns sent to the Criminal Police Laboratories from Trabzon province in Turkey 2003–2005. It was seen that the overall maximum length of the guns ranged from 12.5 to 24.5 cm, where the maximum length of the barrels ranged from 7 to 15 cm . Unexpectedly, these types of gun have been used recently in terrorist attacks.…”