Chicago Police: 3,900 illegal firearms seized so far in 2014

Chicago Police have seized more than 3,900 illegal guns since the start of the year, the department announced Monday.

One of the recent seizures happened last week in the Deering police district, when district officers responded to an Office of Emergency Management and Communications call and heard a woman screaming, a police statement said.

Officers entered an apartment through an open door and found the woman, who said a man with a gun had just ran to the back of the home, police said. When officers ran to the rear porch, they saw the 22-year-old man attempting to conceal a handgun.

Officers recovered the loaded semi-automatic pistol and the man, who was a convicted felon, was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, police said.

Chicago Police recover more illegal firearms than any other city in the nation, according to the department.

“While we unquestionably continue to see progress, there is still more to be done to keep illegal weapons out of the hands of criminals and off our city’s streets.” Supt. Garry McCarthy said in the statement. “We will continue our strategic efforts, working closely with the community to build on our reductions in crime but even with the best policing in the world, we continue to be challenged by lax state and federal gun laws.”