A Thunder Bay woman is calling for more police presence in her neighbourhood after making a shocking discovery under her vehicle: a loaded gun.

Lyn McInnis found the gun behind the rear wheel of her SUV on the evening of May 29, as she took out the garbage at her Brodie Street home.

"It looked like a toy gun, so thinking it belonged to children in the area, I pulled it out ... barrel-first," McInnis told CBC News.

Based on the weight of the gun — she estimated it was about three to five pounds — McInnis thought it may actually have been a replica, brought it inside and called Thunder Bay police.

'I nearly passed out'

But when officers showed up and examined the gun, they told her something she didn't expect: the 9mm semi-automatic was real, loaded, there was a round in the chamber, and the safety was off.

"At that point, I nearly passed out," McInnis said. "I'm very, very concerned about this."

"I'm just grateful I found it instead of the children in the neighbourhood."

Thunder Bay police Staff Sergeant Shawn Harrison said police are still investigating the incident.

"I wish I could tell you exactly where it came from, but right now it's just a found weapon," he said. "We haven't been able to ... trace it back, and I don't know if that's going to happen or not."

Thunder Bay police Staff Sergeant Shawn Harrison said police are still investigating the gun, and attempting to trace its origins. (Cathy Alex/CBC)

He said found or seized weapons are checked for fingerprints, but fingerprints aren't always discovered.

"DNA would be a little bit of a stretch to be doing on something like this," Harrison said. "They might try that on a firearm that was used in a homicide."

Examination could determine if the gun was used in an offence somewhere else, however, he said.

Harrison said police have also been unable to tie the gun to a nearby incident, which took place on May 28. Officers were called to a laneway in the 100 block of Heron Street with reports of a fight. One of the people involved was believed to have a loaded handgun.

Investigation continues

The suspects had driven off by the time officers arrived, but were spotted minutes later in the drive-through at the Tim Horton's on North May Street.

Officers contained the area and conducted a high-risk arrest. No guns were found on the suspects, but police did find a round of ammunition on one of them.

The coffee shop isn't far from where McInnis found the gun. The discovery of a loaded handgun by a nearby resident is mentioned in the police media release about arrests, but Harrison said it's unknown if the two incidents are related.

"There are no cameras that indicate in that area that these guys went by there and ... placed it underneath the car," Harrison said. "Everything's still being investigated. There's no conclusion on its origin."

Harrison said replica guns and real guns can be very difficult to tell apart. And while he isn't aware of any other situations where a real gun has been randomly found in Thunder Bay, Harrison said anyone who finds what they think is a gun shouldn't touch it, if possible.

"Call us immediately," he said. "If it's in a situation where it could harm somebody, if you need to move it at that point, don't touch the trigger."

Can be modified

"These things have, at times, been modified so that the trigger pull on them is less than the manufacturer has made it to be," Harrison said. "They can go off, obviously, and somebody could get injured or killed."

Harrison said while the gun is a semi-automatic, "somebody who has some knowledge can modify it to become an automatic."

McInnis said she wants to see an increased police presence in her neighbourhood.

"Also, cameras would be good," she said. "Cameras are down the other side of May Street, along McKenzie and Cumming Street."

"I guess now we need them on Brodie."

She urged people who find themselves in a similar situation to be extra-cautious.

"Don't think it's toy like I did, or a replica, because it may not be and someone may be seriously, seriously injured," McInnis said. "I'm sick. I actually went through three full days of every emotion I could possibly feel, from total shock, to extreme anger, to resignation, to 'okay, let's be proactive and where do we go from here.'"