DAYTON, Ohio -- After months of investigation, Dayton police and federal agents arrested convicted criminals who they said were trying to buy guns.

For two months, Dayton police, U.S. marshals, Montgomery County sheriff’s deputies and federal agents have been conducting undercover surveillance in cooperation with local gun shows to target convicted criminals trying to purchase weapons.

Investigators were able to obtain federal and state indictment warrants for the suspects.

At 6 a.m. on Wednesday, officers went out to arrest 13 people. So far, four people have been taken into custody.

The arrests came as part of an ongoing two-year effort to make Dayton streets safer by getting guns off the streets and out of the hands of criminals. More than 1,000 guns were taken off the street in the last year.

Police said anyone convicted of a felony is by law not allowed to have a gun.

Federally licensed dealers at the gun shows were not selling to these people, as that would be illegal.