Baltimore police seized handguns and made arrests as the city again this year cracked down on the infamous tradition of celebrating the new year by firing a gun.

"We were out and about citywide focusing on handgun violations and arresting those firing indiscriminately in the air at midnight," said police spokeswoman Ragina C. Averella.

City police confiscated more than 70 handguns and made at least 50 firearms arrests from the late hours of New Year's Eve through the early morning of New Year's Day, Averella said.

The seized firearms included 33 automatic handguns, 18 revolvers, 16 long-barreled guns and three sawed-off shotguns.

Those numbers are down from a year ago, when police confiscated 113 handguns and made 99 arrests.