LANSING, Mich. — June marks gun violence awareness month, and the Lansing Police Department says that they are motivated to continue their effort to get illegal guns off the streets.
“Illegal guns in the community is a threat to community safety” said Captain Rodney Anderson with LPD.
Anderson has been with LPD for over 20 years and said this issue has been a priority for years, but now, it’s even more crucial.
“As you know, across the nation right now, it is a hot topic because of the frequency of gun related crimes that we see in communities, not excluding Lansing,” he said.
In 2023 so far, LPD has seized 178 illegal weapons. Anderson believes that number will help decrease the number of shootings in the city. We’re told since first of the year 25 people have been shot in Lansing, three of which died.
"The weapons that are used in those incidents may have been used in a prior crime, so the more we can continue to focus on seizing illegal guns from our community , it helps inch by inch reduce those opportunities for victimization from gun violence,” Anderson said.
A lot of illegal weapons are stolen. According to a study conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, between 2016 and 2021 there were over 6,000 private firearms stolen per year in Michigan. Anderson said responsible, legal gun owners, should take caution.
“Evaluating appropriate gun locks to purchase or safes, or things of that nature, or even considering storing your gun outside of your home,” Anderson said.
