Superintendent Garry McCarthy says the final toll for 2013 was 6,813 illegal weapons seized.
He says that number is far higher than either New York or Los Angeles, the only American cities with larger populations than Chicago. He also said it underscores the need for stricter penalties in the city for criminals caught with illegal firearms.
"In a city where every year more than 80 percent of murders involve gunfire, the best way is to enact laws, keep illegal guns out of our communities in the first place," Supt. McCarthy said.
McCarthy also says the high number of illegal gun seizures comes despite the lowest murder rate in the city since 1966.
