OUTLAW bikie gangs are fuelling violent crime in Sydney by using home handymen and metal tradesmen to build crude and dangerous weapons.

Worried police say at least 10 per cent of firearms seized have been improvised with many described as “sophisticated and deadly”.

With illegal handguns costing $15,000 and more on the black market, desperate criminals have even resorted to converting ear-piercing instruments and spear guns into makeshift pistols.

“About 10 per cent of the weapons we are seizing are homemade,’’ said Detective Superintendent Mick Plotecki, newly appointed boss of the Firearms and Organised Crime Squad.

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“That is a fairly significant amount and (is) due to the fact that NSW police and other law enforcement agencies have recently put in place strategies to detect and seize illegal weapons,’’ he said.

Supt Plotecki said there was anecdotal evidence the outlaw motorcycle gangs were targeting people who have the skills to make weapons.

He said criminals will use anything to make a weapon, often using parts of old guns with pieces of wood as well as bits of tubing to make rudimentary silencers.

“A lot of them are very crude and dangerous, especially to the user. They misfire, don’t fire at all or even explode in the user’s hands.’’

Earlier this year a Hells Angel prospect was caught with a homemade Uzi that police believe was a prototype he was showing his prospective employers to impress them.

Supt Plotecki said the mail was also being used by criminals to bring in guns piecemeal.

“They can get the parts of guns in separate mail consignments and put them together.

“By doing importations in bits and pieces it makes detection harder.’’

“Most of the crooks, especially young guys, think of themselves as gangsters and want handguns and are willing to pay big money,” he said.

“They want to be seen with these pistols like in rap songs and movies. They will pay $10,000 to $15,000 for a pistol.’’

In a three-day operation — from Thursday to Saturday — targeting outlaw bikie gangs, police raided 200 homes and clubhouses, confiscating nine rifles, three shotguns, explosives and illicit drugs. Ten people were charged.

Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione has said one of his greatest fears is the advent of weapons being made by new generation 3D printers with instructions off the internet.

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Mark Morri

WAR hero Ben Roberts-Smith knows the carnage caused by high-powered firearms.

So the Victoria Cross and Medal of Gallantry recipient was more than happy to launch a major advertising blitz to help rid the streets of illegal weapons.

“I have seen what guns can do in wartime,” Corporal Roberts-Smith said, adding: “There is no place for illegal firearms in a peaceful society.

“Like many others, I have served my country ... now it’s your chance to protect the community by phoning Crime Stoppers and telling authorities where to find that illegal gun. You can remain anonymous if you wish ... it’s all about getting that gun out of unsafe hands.”

Corporal Roberts-Smith has recorded a video message of support for senior NSW police for the Operation Unification phone-in, which will run from today until Sunday, June 29.

Police are urging anyone with information about the possession and whereabouts of illicit firearms to call the Unification hotline through Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

Senior NSW Police said even one phone call could save a life.

“We have been extremely busy locating and seizing illegal weapons in the past few years,” Acting State Crime Commander John Kerlatec. “Imagine how much more successful we could be if the community got behind this initiative and told us where to find the guns,” he said,

“Every gun we remove is one that can’t be used to shoot someone or terrorise a neighbourhood.’’

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Neil Keene

WESTERN Sydney is taking up arms, with licensed handgun owners occupying five of the top 10 postcodes.

Gun control lobbyists say the relatively high number of firearm owners in places like Mt Druitt, Campbelltown and Westmead is likely the result of residents arming themselves against drive-by shootings and violent crime.

“There may be a concern that these communities are feeling particularly threatened,” Gun Control Australia spokeswoman Sam Lee said yesterday.

“Although there are laws in NSW that say you are not allowed to own a ­firearm for self-defence, the way those laws operate doesn’t really prevent ­someone from accumulating firearms for that reason.”

EDITORIAL: KEEP UP THE PRESSURE ON DIY FIREARMS

Ms Lee questioned the need for military-style ­semiautomatic handguns when rapid-firing semiautomatic rifles were ­outlawed long ago. “All ­­semiautomatic firearms should be banned — they are military-style weapons and there is no need for civilians to have them,” she said.

“The long arms are banned because they are too dangerous but the handguns got left out and they are the same gun, just smaller. And they’re the preferred guns for drive-by shootings because they are smaller.”

While criminals pulling the trigger in drive-by shootings are unlikely to be ­licensed gun owners who ­obtained handguns through legal channels, Ms Lee said: “All guns start out legal ­before they become illegal (via theft or rogue dealers)”.

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But Police Minister Stuart Ayres pointed out there were only 40 handguns stolen across the entire state in the 2012-2013 financial year.

“The number of privately-owned firearms is significant but does need to be viewed in the context of our stringent system of firearms ­regulation,” he said.

He added that handguns made up only 6 per cent of total registered firearms.

Figures obtained by Gun Control Australia under ­freedom of information show that while the 2340 postcode near Tamworth was home to the most licensed handgun owners, the 2170 postcode covering the area around Liverpool and Casula was second with 175.

And more than a third of handgun owners, the vast majority of whom were male, had at least six pistols in their possession.

Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research data shows there were 480 incidents in Western Sydney involving handguns across four crime categories from 2009 to March this year.

Those categories were: assault, robbery, shoot with intent to murder and shoot with intent other than to murder.

A spokesman for the Shooters & Fishers Party ­refused to comment ­yesterday on the figures.

“Gun Control Australia will never agree with ­anything we do and the short answer is we won’t be ­commenting on anything,” the spokesman said.