Raleigh Police say they made 36 arrests and seized two dozen guns in the Glenwood South nightlife district this past weekend alone, as part of a renewed push to keep the area safe in the wake of recent violence.
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There have been two shootings in the nightlife hub in the past two months.
"Anytime you get guns off the street, that's a good thing," said Wes Alexander, general manager of the Hibernian.
Alexander says he's noticed the increased number of officers on weekends and appreciates the area receiving resources.
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"Yes, they definitely help us out a lot on the weekends," he said. "But, you know, from my store all the way up the street, all the way down to the beer garden, it's you can see nothing but cops, police officers all over the place. And we love it. We love it."
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Just a couple blocks down, downtown Raleigh investor Pete Rivera says it's exactly the signal that business owners want to be sent.
"The message is getting out. You know, if you act up, you're going to get caught. We're not going to tolerate it. We're going to throw the book at you. And just don't bring your shenanigans here to Glenwood," Rivera said.
Rivera said he's had conversations with law enforcement and is happy to see the city engaged on the safety issue.
"They're there. They're doing their job. They're talking to the community, they're engaged, they're very entrenched that they really embody Raleigh's finest," he said.
Just a few blocks west, longtime resident Mike Lindsay is more at ease, too. Just last year, his doorbell camera captured audio of gunshots. He believes this latest crackdown shows progress.
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"I'm very happy to hear, especially when I hear that a bunch of guns have been confiscated because the combination of alcohol and guns isn't very good. And with what goes on at Glenwood Avenue, I'm glad to see that they're working on that," Lindsay said.
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North Carolina ATF told ABC11 they're aware of the seizures, and remain concerned about guns and higher-capacity magazines falling into the wrong hands. "Our agents are aware of the firearms recovered recently and working with their local counterparts on this. While NC does not have restrictions on magazine capacity, ATF is concerned about the number of modified firearms our local, state and federal law enforcement partners are recovering in the area. This would include semi-automatic firearms that have been converted to fully automatic firearms, and privately manufactured firearms - or ghost guns - which are difficult to trace. Any of these firearms, in the wrong hands, is a serious threat to public safety and ATF will continue working with local law enforcement partners to address violent gun crime."
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