Birmingham Police working to get illegal guns off the streets

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - Over the weekend, President Joe Biden signed a new gun violence bill that aims to tighten nationwide gun crime.

That new legislation will toughen background checks for young gun buyers. It will also try and keep firearms from people previously convicted of domestic violence.

The bill will also allow individual states to put in place a red flag law, that could help make it easier for authorities to take weapons from people they believe are dangerous. It’s all an effort to reduce gun violence nationwide, and Birmingham’s Police Chief Scott Thurmond addressed gun crime in the city by saying they are working hard to get illegal guns off the streets locally.

Data shows the city’s murder rates are up 11.5% so far this year. This year, they have taken 973 guns, which is almost 400 less than last year.

“The number of guns that are on our streets today versus 10 to 12 years ago is just astronomical,” Thurmond said. “Citizens have to secure their weapons. A lot of the guns we get are stolen from vehicles and left in there unattended. That is a huge problem for us, so we see a lot of those guns used in crimes after they are stolen.”

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