Baltimore police seize more than 800 guns in 2026 so far

Baltimore police say they have taken more than 800 guns off city streets in 2026 so far, a pace that puts the department ahead of last year’s firearm seizures but does not by itself answer the question residents care about most: whether the removals are reducing shootings in the neighborhoods that still carry the city’s heaviest violence.

The enforcement numbers come alongside a citywide crime picture that officials have used to argue Baltimore is moving in the right direction. In a Feb. 2 city release, Mayor Brandon M. Scott said Baltimore had recorded 10 homicides and 26 nonfatal shootings as of that morning, compared with 11 homicides and 24 nonfatal shootings over the same period in 2025. The city also said Baltimore ended 2025 with 133 homicides, the fewest in nearly 50 years and a 60% drop from 2020.

January alone accounted for a large share of the early-year gun recoveries. City officials said Baltimore Police Department officers seized 153 firearms and 16 ghost guns during the first month of 2026. BPD’s 2025 year-end report, released as of Dec. 27, said officers had seized more than 2,480 firearms and 264 ghost guns last year, showing that this year’s tally had already surged into the same range by late May.

The broader enforcement push has extended beyond Baltimore police. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland said a Jan. 20-31 targeted operation in the Baltimore area produced hundreds of federal and state arrests and more than 200 arrests of violent fugitives and people tied to organized criminal activity. Federal, state and local officers also used search-and-seizure warrants aimed at violent crime and drug trafficking, underscoring how much of Baltimore’s gun problem is tied to a wider regional pipeline.

Still, police and city officials face a practical measure that goes beyond seizure totals. Baltimore Police’s public crime map says its data are built from General Offense Reports, updated regularly, and subject to change as reports are processed and investigations continue. Metro Crime Stoppers of Maryland is still asking for anonymous tips and rewards-based leads through 911 or its tip lines, a reminder that the city’s safety picture depends as much on community reporting and case outcomes as on how many guns officers can pull from circulation.