DANVILLE, Va. – A shotgun was one of more than a dozen guns on display Friday afternoon to highlight just how many illegal guns are on the street in Danville.
"In February, Danville police executed a search warrant in the 400 block of Ross Street and we recovered this Mossberg Maverick 12-gauge shotgun, listed as stolen from Burlington, North Carolina," Danville Police Chief Scott Booth said, standing next to the shotgun.
Booth said 35 illegal guns have been confiscated since the beginning of the year.
That's an average of almost two per day.
"We're out here aggressively taking firearms off the street. We're going to get much better at that in the upcoming months. We're working on some strategies, both educational and enforcement-wise," Booth said.
After the news conference, Booth took time to meet and answer questions from about a half-dozen members of the public who showed up to hear what he had to say.
Bill McMann was one of those.
"I'm glad we have 35 guns off the street, but I think they're just the beginning. I believe they're the tip of the iceberg," McMann said.
He also believes that, between the police chief and the city council members' efforts to combat crime, the city can "turn around."
"I'd love Danville to have an opportunity to be like it was when I was growing up. I think we have a great police chief now," McMann said.
During the news conference, Booth thanked the public for helping the police department get guns off the street and he left no doubt that the department is locked and loaded.
"Our main purpose is to keep people from getting hurt, OK? We're going to reduce violent crime in this city," Booth said.