CHICAGO, IL — Police officers have seized more than 9,600 illegal guns so far this year, the Chicago Police Department said. Police are on track to take nine percent more illegal guns off the streets this year as compared to last year, which had the highest number of gun seizures in the last five years, the CPD said.
“While simultaneously reducing crime and gun violence, Chicago Police officers have made exceptional progress interdicting the flow of illegal guns through our city, ” said CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson said in a media release. “While much more work remains to make our city safer, we must continue investing in proven strategies that are making communities safer and give our officers the necessary knowledge and training that is vital to creating a safer and stronger city.”
CPD said 49 guns were seized over the weekend. Police districts that have seen the highest number of gun seizures include the 11th District (Harrison) on the West Side, and the 9th (Deering), 7th (Englewood) and 6th (Gresham) districts on the South Side. The four Districts account for one third of the total number of guns seized this year, CPD said.
The majority of guns that have been seized were semi-automatic handguns; however, nearly 200 assault-style weapons have also been recovered this year, including AK-47 and AR-15 rifles, the CPD said.
So far this year, 4,249 people have been arrested on