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TORONTO — A uniquely violent year in Toronto marked by a major surge in gun-related crimes saw police seize an unusually high number of handguns from city streets, the force’s chief said Thursday.

Mark Saunders said officers had recovered 514 handguns so far in 2018 — or 222 more than in 2017 — and the number of homicides caused by shootings had gone up by nearly 30 per cent.

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The influx of guns came from a variety of sources, said Saunders, softening previous police statements suggesting domestically sourced firearms were the cause of the majority of gun crimes in the city.

The serge in gun violence remains his highest concern moving into 2019, said Saunders as he reflected on a year that’s seen Toronto grapple with a new homicide record and the aftermath of two mass-casualty attacks.

“Every day, we’re seeing more guns,” Saunders said at a year-end news conference. “So that’s one aspect that has to be looked at. The second piece is what’s motivating people to use a gun to resolve issues.”