CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Police Superintendent Garry McCarthy says officers have seized more than 970 guns so far this year.

McCarthy has announced the weekly total of seized weapons as part of an effort to demonstrate just how many illegal firearms are finding their way into the hands of criminals in the city. Tuesday's announcement was part of that effort.

McCarthy and others have said repeatedly the flood of illegal guns into the city, and the lack of any significant penalty for those caught with illegal weapons, is a big reason the number of homicides in Chicago has been climbing.