Firearms Seizures 'Highest Level Ever' In Abington: Police

ABINGTON TOWNSHIP, PA —They start as traffic stops. And they lead to firearms seizures.

Since May 17, Abington Township Police have seized nine illegal firearms and safely removed them from township streets.

Police said most of the seizures have come from police officers being proactive, making traffic stops for various violations, and discovering illegal firearms.

The number of illegal firearms that police officers are encountering "is at the highest level ever," police said.

"Our officers are leading the charge to getting these guns out of the hands of criminals, and off the streets of our community," police said.

Police outlined some of the recent incidents in which the illegal firearms were seized:

• One firearm, recovered in the bathroom of a local business, was equipped with a full automatic “switch.” Tests on that gun revealed that it was used in several violent crimes in Philadelphia.
• A “ghost gun” recovered from a vehicle that was stolen from an Abington resident.
• A vehicle was stopped for a minor traffic violation. The driver was a convicted felon and in possession of a handgun with an obliterated serial number, and full auto "switch."
• A vehicle was stopped for a minor traffic violation. A suspected drug dealer was arrested for possessing a loaded firearm.
• On June 9, at 1 a.m., an officer stopped a car for minor traffic violations. The car fled the scene and crashed a short distance down the road. Officers recovered a bag that one of the suspects dropped while running. The bag contained three fully loaded firearms —two with high-capacity magazines, one with an auto fire "switch," and one that was stolen from a resident in Philadelphia. The suspect who dropped the bag is an 18-year-old Philadelphia resident.