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On average, Springfield is second only to Boston in the number of firearms recovered per year in Massachusetts, according to the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms.
Last year, 204 illegal firearms were recovered in Springfield. (In Boston, nearly 600 were confiscated by law enforcement that year.)
Springfield Police announced that last week, on Sept. 23, that the department has confiscated 117 firearms in 2020 so far.
Springfield Police put an emphasis on removing illegal weapons from the city. This year, the city has confiscated numerous untraceable or “ghost guns,” high-capacity firearms, and semi-automatic weapons among other guns.
The most recent seizure was of a loaded, large-capacity firearm police believe may have been involved in an accidental shooting.
Police found the gun following the report of a man who had been shot in the leg, turning up at a private business on Austin Street. When officers arrived they allegedly found a large-capacity firearm that had recently been fired in the victim’s vehicle.
The victim, who is also believed to be the shooter, was taken to the hospital for treatment to non-life-threatening injuries, police said.
Mark Melendez, 28, of Springfield was arrested on the charges of carrying a firearm without a license, carrying a loaded large-capacity firearm on a public way, and firearm violation with one prior violent crime, police said.
Police asked that Melendez be held for a dangerousness hearing due to the discovery of the weapon and Melendez’s criminal history. Melendez has a prior conviction for involuntary manslaughter, police said.
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