Gun seizures fall in Des Moines amid law change, intervention shifts
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The number of guns seized by Des Moines police annually has fallen 19% in the past three years — a drop the department attributed to changes in Iowa law and a shift in the department's focus.
The big picture: Some research shows that outreach and reducing weapons on the streets are among the ways cities can lower violent crime.
Driving the news: Des Moines police seized 598 guns last year.
- That's down from 631 in the previous year and from a record 737 in 2022, according to a department report published this month.
State of play: There were 15 murders in DSM last year, up from 14 the year before, an increase noted by Councilperson Linda Westergaard when she asked during a council workshop last week why fewer guns were seized.
- A state law enacted in July 2021 that removed a requirement that people obtain a permit to carry a handgun is a factor, Police Chief Michael McTaggart said.
- The department also used to have a proactive special response team, but in 2024 repositioned staff to a downtown summer squad, he said.
The intrigue: The police's reduction in gun seizures comes as a record number of guns (16) were recovered last year at the DSM International Airport — double the number recovered in 2023, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
Flashback: DSM allocated hundreds of thousands of dollars for a violence interruption program, run locally by the nonprofit Creative Visions, that launched in January 2022.
- The city's funding for the program, which initially struggled with ambiguous benchmarks, was not reallocated this year and ends in November.
- Creative Visions is looking for alternative sponsors to maintain the program, CEO Ako Abdul-Samad tells Axios.
Reality check: DSM homicides have fluctuated in recent years, with 22 in 2022, the same year the department seized a record number of guns and implemented the intervention program.
- Nationally, violent crime fell in 2024 to its lowest levels in two decades.
Yes, but: A murder still occurred every 31 minutes on average, according to FBI data.
The bottom line: Fewer seized guns don't necessarily mean DSM is more dangerous.
What we're watching: The interplay of laws, policing and community factors on future crime trends.