PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A convicted drug felon riding around Elmwood on New Year's Day was the first person arrested in 2014 for illegally carrying a gun in Providence.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- A convicted drug felon riding around Elmwood on New Year's Day was the first person arrested in 2014 for illegally carrying a gun in Providence.

The arrest of 35-year-old Damon Morrison and discovery of a loaded .25 caliber handgun came just as Providence police ended a record year for gun seizures.

Detective Capt. Michael E. Correia said police seized 138 firearms from crimes last year. That's an all-time high for the department, achieved with the fewest officers on the roster in 18 years. The previous record was in 2011, when police seized 134 guns.

Two officers working in the violent crime task force stopped a car that Morrison was riding in just before 9 p.m. on Wednesday.

What started as a minor traffic violation escalated, as patrolmen Eric Greene and Jonathan Desmarais first noticed a strong odor of marijuana in the car -- and then saw Morrison shifting the gun in an open box under his seat, according to a police report.

The driver and another passenger were released, and Morrison was arrested. he was charged with carrying a firearm after being convicted of a crime of violence, carrying a pistol without a license and issued a summons for marijuana possession.

Morrison was arraigned Thursday at District Court and held on surety bail.