A COVENTRY man has pleaded guilty to carrying a loaded revolver in his backpack amid a firearms crackdown.
Richard Hamper, aged 32, from Tile Hill, Coventry, was stopped by armed officers on July 18.
They seized the weapon which was originally blank firing, but had been converted.
He pleaded guilty to possession of a firearm and class B drugs and was remanded in custody until August 16, when he will be sentenced at Birmingham Crown Court.
The arrest came as part of a National Crime Agency (NCA) crackdown where more than 100 weapons were seized and 27 people arrested.
The NCA is targeting customers who bought illegal blank-firing weapons online.
These weapons can be purchased with limited restrictions in many countries, but they are illegal in the UK.
The NCA says this is because they can be readily converted to fire live ammunition.
Firearms threat lead at the NCA, Simon Brough, said: “This is the second co-ordinated national operation we have run in partnership with forces which targets the online purchase of prohibited firearms.
“Gun crime in the UK continues to be relatively low compared to mainland Europe. However, we know that illegal firearms are used in acts of serious violence, as well as being used by crime groups to coerce and intimidate.
“For this reason, suppressing their availability is a priority for the NCA and our law enforcement partners and we will continue to share intelligence and co-ordinate operational activity to reduce the numbers of illegal firearms in the UK”.
