UPDATE/CORRECTION: Officials say the mayor misspoke while giving her remarks. Gun seizures are actually slightly down from this point last year.

City police have seized nearly as many guns so far this year than they did last year, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake said at a news conference Monday where she reiterated a desire to strengthen criminal penalties for people caught with illegal guns.

Officials laid out about a dozen handguns (right) that they said were similar to those seized over the weekend by police officers conducting car stops, drug surveillance and search warrants. Among those charged was 20-year-old Haymond Burton Jr., who in 2009 was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and got five years in prison for conspiracy to commit second-degree assault.

Burton was found Friday afternoon in a house in the 700 block of Richwood Ave. with a 12-gauge shotgun and 43 baggies of cocaine, said Police Commissioner Frederick H. Bealefeld III.

"We know there's a culture that exists in our city - drugs and guns," said Rawlings-Blake. "We're doing everything we can to break up that culture."

"We know who's committing these crimes - the same people committing the shootings last year and the year before," she continued. "It's repeat violent offenders, and we're determined to make sure we're making it very difficult for them to continue to pursue those dangerous activities in Baltimore." 

Officials said city police have made 850 gun arrests so far this year, and have taken 1,500 guns off the street.  Rawlings-Blake said she will return to Annapolis for next year's legislative session pushing tougher penalties for illegal gun possession.

"It's not a cause for celebration, it's a call to action. We know more needs to be done," Rawlings-Blake said.