City Cops Continue 'Aggressive Anti-Violence Efforts'

Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy updated the number of seized firearms in the city this week to 1,400.

That total includes all illegal weapons that have been taken by police in the first 11 weeks of 2013. The effort is one aimed at reducing violence by targeting "the source of the problem," police said.

“The number of illegal guns we are recovering, and the circumstances around the recoveries, make it clear there are too many guns in the hands of dangerous criminals,” McCarthy said, in a written statement. “We must do everything possible, through continued policing and better laws, to curb the proliferation of illegal guns in our communities.”

Only one weapons violation was reported within the police beats that cover Lincoln Square since the start of 2013, according to city of Chicago data. Local officers have started spreading the word about an uptick in robberies—some armed, some not—within the 19th district in recent weeks. 

The South Side's Chicago Lawn District saw the greatest drop in murders Citywide and also recovered the greatest number of firearms in Area Central, police said. Last week, officers there arrested a 21-year-old gang member and convicted felon after responding to a domestic disturbance call where the offender reportedly pointed a semiautomatic handgun at a victim.

Officers were able to recover the fully-loaded weapon and place charges against the offender, including unlawful use of weapon by felon and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

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