The streets of Washington D.C. are a little safer today thanks to the Metropolitan Police Department's week-long blitz on illegal firearms. From April 29 to May 6, officers swept through the city and confiscated a staggering 44 guns. A rep for the department stated that in addition to routine patrols, specialized units within MPD are constantly on the grind, executing intelligence-based policing strategies to locate and neutralize armed offenders.
Among the recovered items, a diverse collection of weaponry was seized including "ghost guns," a category of firearms that has proven particularly troublesome for law enforcement due to their untraceable nature. Monday kicked off with a BB gun shotgun being recovered, whereas the very next day officers found a Glock 30 .45 caliber handgun and detained an 18-year-old suspect, Juvan Julian Harris, on a slate of charges ranging from illegal possession of a weapon to being a fugitive from justice. The same day saw several more arrests, including a 16-year-old for Carrying a Pistol without License, as highlighted on the MPD's official website.
Wednesday brought in more ghost gun seizures and Thursday police picked up a Smith & Wesson M&P Shield. By the weekend, several handguns were recovered in various D.C. neighborhoods, including a Glock 21 .45 caliber that ended up in the hands of authorities in the 200 block of M Street, Southeast.
Perhaps most notable was the arrest on Friday, where law enforcement netted multiple firearms from a group including a 20-year-old and a 14-year old juvenile in the 800 block of Yuma Street, Southeast. Ghost guns continued to be a common thread, with the MPD announcing the recovery and arrest related to another such weapon on the following Monday.
The MPD emphasized their commitment to the safety of D.C.'s residents, stating, "It is one of MPD’s main goals to safely remove illegal firearms from D.C. streets to reduce crime and the fear of crime in the community." Officers have taken up the mantle with due resolve, and together with the community, they stand firm against the tide of gun violence threatening to disrupt the Capital's peace.
