The department said in a news release Friday that the total illustrates the need for tougher federal and state laws. Police say that would reduce the number of guns that find their way into the city.
The department routinely leads the nation in the number of illegal guns seized. Spokesman Adam Collins says just as last year, officers are on a pace to seize more than 7,000 guns by the end of the year.
Superintendent Garry McCarthy and Mayor Rahm Emanuel say if there were longer sentences for illegal gun possession crimes it would keep some criminals responsible for many gun crimes off the streets.
