Chicago Cops Have Seized A Gun Per Hour This Year
CHICAGO (CBS) -- In the wake of another bloody weekend in Chicago, police said they have seized more than 4,200 guns this year – more than one per hour.
Police said nearly 100 guns were taken off the streets on Father's Day weekend alone. At least 13 people were killed and more than 40 others were wounded in shootings over the same weekend.
"With the help of community organizations and gun buy-back events, CPD has been able to confiscate these guns and potentially help prevent crime from occurring," police said in a statement.
A handful of the guns seized over the weekend were semi-automatic assault-style weapons. At least one fatal shooting over the weekend was committed using an assault rifle.
Salvador Suarez, 17, was killed Sunday afternoon, when someone drove up to him and shot him in the 1700 block of West 46th Street. Police said it appeared the shooter used a high-powered semi-automatic assault rifle.
"Using a high-powered assault rifle, more than 30 rounds of bullets were fired within seconds. These are exactly the types of weapons that have captured the national spotlight, and I can tell you right now there's no place for weapons of war on the streets of Chicago," Johnson said Tuesday morning at a graduation ceremony for new police recruits, sergeants, and lieutenants.
Johnson and Mayor Rahm Emanuel said they are working with state lawmakers on stricter gun control laws, including harsher punishments for repeat gun offenders.
"Criminals should not have access to guns that belong in Afghanistan and Iraq right here on the streets of the city of Chicago, or any major city across the United States," Emanuel said.
