Police striving to get illegal guns off the streets

SHREVEPORT, La. (KSLA) — Shreveport police still are working hard to get more illegal guns off the streets, the city’s police chief said.

They’ve confiscated more illegal guns this year than what they did at this time last year, Police Chief Wayne Smith said.

And there’s something the public can do to help with that effort, he added. That’s because quite a few of the guns used in shootings turn out to be stolen.

“We’ve got to continue to encourage the public. If everyone that owns a weapon to do their best to secure that weapon,” Smith said. “Don’t leave vehicles unattended with weapons in it. Lock your vehicles. When you go home, take your weapons out of your vehicles, take them inside and put them in a secure place.”

As for the guns that are seized, the police chief said they’re destroyed once they no longer are needed as evidence.

“Each time we seize a weapon, someone is charged with a offense,” Smith explained. “Once the process is adjudicated, gone through the court process and the court issues an order for that weapon to be destroyed and we immediately put it in the gun muncher and turn it into little bitty pieces of metal.”

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