The scaremongering by the rabid dogs in blue continues.
Victorian criminals are turning simple lengths of pipe into make-shift shotguns in a trend that has police worried.Quote
Officers have uncovered more than 20 of the crude weapons, which are capable of firing 12-gauge shotgun cartridges, since February.
Not only can the guns be deadly when fired, there's a concern they could malfunction and 'blow up in someone's face'.
'I wouldn't want to fire them and I wouldn't want anyone who doesn't know what they're doing to handle them,' Superintendent Stuart Bateson told reporters on Tuesday.
The weapons were found during searches of homes and vehicles in Melbourne's western suburbs.
Made from a short length of pipe with a firing mechanism, they can easily be concealed.
There have been some links to drugs though most people caught with the weapons say it was for protection.
'I think it's about access - they're able to get these types of firearms where they wouldn't normally be able to get a proper or manufactured firearm,' Supt Bateson said.
There were no reports of the guns being used although one man had faced court for manufacturing them in his backyard.
'I've got to say, I wouldn't want him manufacturing a firearm for my use,' Supt Bateson said.
'He's not a skilled tradesman and this is one of the real problems with these types of firearms.'
Last week the Victorian parliament passed new gun laws including a firearm manufacturing offence which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years imprisonment.
Anyone who finds one of the weapons should not touch it, but call police to have it safely removed.