The Bedfordshire Police are hard at work protecting the mean English streets from 19th-century time travelers, apparently.
The police shared further details on this heroic venture in a press release, boasting that:
We have taken a gun off the streets of Bedfordshire after officers found the firearm in a washing machine during a warrant.
Officers also recovered a sword and Class A drugs during the warrant in Bedford on Monday (11 October).
A man in his 60s from Bedford was arrested on suspicion of possession of a firearm and being concerned in the supply of a controlled drug as a result of the warrant.
It marks the second successful seizure by Bedfordshire Police in proactive operations to tackle serious and organised crime in a matter of days.
A Twitter user with the handle English Country Life noted that, if the flintlock pistol is a genuine antique, it would not be considered to be a licensable firearm. "Secondly," they added, "there are so many parts missing (including the cock and frizen cover) that, whatever it's origin, that relic is definitely non functional."
British gun control is weird.
Warrants seize gun, Class A drugs and £1,000 in cash [Bedfordshire Police]