Hamilton police say more ‘crime guns’ seized in 2022 than previous three years

The Hamilton Police Service says officers have seized more guns connected with crime in 2022 than they did during all of last year.

Since the start of this year, and with six weeks still to go, Hamilton police say they’ve seized 228 total crime guns, up from the 224 confiscated in 2021.

In a statement released Wednesday the city’s deputy chief of police revealed the majority of the firearm-related incidents in the city were “targeted.”

“The increase in firearms is a shocking trend that we continue to see year over year. While we know the majority of firearm-related incidents are targeted, this does not bring me any comfort,” said Ryan Diodati.

The city has seen a 29 per cent rise in shootings from this time last year. To date, there have been 36 shootings and 13 victims.

Gun seizures have been on the rise in Hamilton since 2019 with investigators reporting 185 in 2020 and 190 seizures in 2019.

Police say most guns recovered in 2022 were linked to serious crimes across the GTA with 18 recovered during traffic-related stops.

Investigators say an incident in Hess Village near George Street on Saturday was an example of one of the most recent seizures when officers took a semi-automatic firearm away from a man who allegedly brandished it during an altercation.

Other recoveries that put 2022’s seizures beyond 2021 totals include a semi-automatic firearm seized in a traffic stop on Nov. 7 and two other loaded firearms taken from a vehicle Thursday after two suspects were arrested following a shooting on Minto Avenue.

“In the beginning of my career, finding a gun during a traffic stop was an anomaly. Now we are regularly recovering guns during routine traffic stops,” said Diodati.

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