CLEVELAND — Officer Matt Gilmer is with the Euclid Police Department’s new Community Response Unit, which is tasked specifically with getting illegal guns off the street. 

What You Need To Know

  • A new state law eliminated requirements for Concealed Handgun Licenses

  • Law enforcement agencies say the definition of an illegal gun has changed because of the new law 

  • Thanks to a new unit, Euclid police have seized more illegal guns and made more gun arrests this year compared to 2021

He said they have fewer ways to take illegal guns away since the state no longer requires a permit for concealed carry. One thing they can still do is take a gun away from someone if certain convictions pop up in a criminal background check.

Officers use a memo from the prosecutor’s office to guide them in other cases. 

“We can always consult this if we’re ever unsure of what we’re looking at," Gilmer said. 

Gilmer said in some cases the department educates people about the new law instead of just seizing a weapon.

“Within five years of a person that’s been convicted of two or more violations of assault or negligent assault," Gilmer said. "And say four and a half years have passed. That’s a good opportunity to educate somebody without taking their weapon.” 

Captain Mitch Houser oversees Euclid's new Community Response Unit and said that unit is likely why department data shows an increase in guns seized and arrests made since the change in the gun law. Last year, from January to November, there were 218 guns seized and 76 gun arrests in the city of Euclid. In that same time frame in 2022, 316 guns were seized and 111 gun arrests were made. Many of those guns are still at police headquarters. 

“These aren’t all the ones we’ve taken in the last year, this is just all we could fit on the table," Houser said. 

He said having a unit dedicated to seizing illegal guns was in the works long before the law change, and isn’t related to it at all. 

“The definition did shrink," Houser said. "The amount of people that were criminals as a matter of just carrying a weapon without a concealed handgun license. That’s fine. But the people who are going to go out and commit crimes anyway? I don’t think that number has significantly changed.” 

Houser said some people didn’t know enough about the new law and found out the hard way that there are still ways a gun can be illegal without a required permit. 

“The barrel has been shortened substantially," Houser said while showing a sawed-off shotgun. "To modify a weapon like this, you need special permission from the ATF. You need special paperwork. And this just isn't the case."

The unit focuses their efforts on targeted areas around the city. Those hot spots can change. 

“We have been redirected to other spots where troubles come up to help the patrol division and the citizens feel safer to take care of the problems in those areas," Gilmer said. 

Houser said based on talks with their law department and the prosecutor’s office, they can temporarily take a gun if they need to verify if it is involved in criminal activity. If it’s not, the owner can come pick it up.