The Chicago Police Department announced this week that it has seized more than 10,000 guns so far this year – an average of one gun every 48 minutes – an uptick from one gun-per-hour the previous year, according to CPD.
“I’m immensely proud of CPD for taking 10,000 guns off the streets this year,” Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson said. “We really need systematic change to prevent these guns from ever finding their way into the city.”
CPD typically recovers around 7,000 guns a year, but 2019 and 2018 saw substantial spikes, with officers seizing about 9,800 guns last year.
Johnson said CPD routinely recovers more guns than New York and Los Angeles because the states surrounding those cities have stricter gun laws in comparison to Illinois’ bordering states.