First D.C. Report On Guns Released
Study Examines City's Efforts to Recover Firearms

By Martin Weil
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, July 28, 2007

The District issued a report on guns and crime yesterday, indicating an increase in the proportion of offenses involving guns and offering figures on the relative prevalence of guns in neighborhoods.

Titled the 2006 Annual Report on Guns in the District of Columbia and termed the first of its kind, it was released as the city prepares to challenge a court ruling that rejects one of its principal curbs on firearms.

Also yesterday, officials from Maryland and the District announced initiatives aimed at reducing gun-related crime.

Based on figures in the report, authorities recovered 2,261 guns last year, exclusive of buybacks, compared with 2,034 the previous year, an 11 percent jump.

Over the same period, the number of offenses most frequently linked to guns, such as robbery and aggravated assault, appeared to increase about 9 percent, suggesting a possible increase in the use of guns in crime.

The report also listed states to which 991 of the firearms recovered in 2006 were traced. The top eight were Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Massachusetts, South Carolina and West Virginia.

Of the guns recovered last year, excluding buybacks, 978, or 43 percent, came from east of the Anacostia River in the 6th and 7th Police Districts. Fifty-one guns were recovered in the 2nd District, west of Rock Creek Park.