Well, it depends on what you mean by a lot. I can't find the numbers for guns specifically but the number of assaults, rapes, robberies, and murders in Ferguson is 80 in 2012 (only 2 murders, 3 rapes, 38 robberies, and 37 assaults). To put that in perspective, where I live (which is usually considered a pretty safe place to live) had more than 3 times that in assaults alone (8 murders. . . 56 rapes [REALLY?!?!?], 199 robberies, and 297 assaults). We have a poor population that have been feeling more free to shoot at each other (they tend to have horrible aim) but there are very few known instances of police using highly excessive or deadly force when it is seemingly necessary.
Then again, the police seem to be rather 'hands off' around here, but that seems to be fairly consistent in any area that doesn't have a population with a lot of money.