Man 'tried to buy almost 40 guns and 1,000 bullets'

A man who allegedly tried to buy almost 40 hand guns and more than 1,000 bullets has appeared in court charged with firearms offences.

Luke Fortune, 22, from Longwell Green, was arrested after police found a Glock-style pistol and a revolver hidden in a bush in the Bristol suburb.

The National Crime Agency (NCA) said it previously arrested Fortune in July 2024 after he allegedly tried to buy three antique firearms and 35 top venting blank firearms - a realistic-looking type of pistol with blocked barrels. They are illegal due to their easy conversion into lethal firearms.

Fortune appeared at Bristol Magistrates' Court earlier charged with eight firearms offences.

Fortune, of Mapstone Rise, was charged with two counts of possessing firearms, two counts of possessing ammunition and one count of converting a firearm.

He was also charged with one count of manufacturing a firearm (a 3D-printed sub-machine gun), one count of selling firearms and one count of conspiracy to import firearms.

Andy Lawton, a senior investigating officer from the NCA, said: "These weapons could have caused untold damage to our communities with potentially fatal consequences.

"Working closely with our partners in the UK and overseas, we are relentless in our efforts to suppress the availability of firearms and ammunition to criminals."

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