North Yorkshire Police say they received a call at about 5.50pm on January 10 after a man was seen with what was believed to be a shotgun inside a bag in High Petergate area.
A police spokesman said: “No threats were made by the man and the weapon remained in the bag.
“The man was tracked on CCTV cameras and officers located him in Duncombe Place where he was swiftly detained shortly after 6pm.
“Officers seized a long-barrelled air weapon from him.
“He was arrested and taken into police custody where he remains at this time.
“Due to the report of a gun, authorised firearms officers were deployed to the scene which is usual practice when reports that a weapon is involved are received.
“No-one was threatened or injured during the incident.
“Thank you to the people who called in their concerns and thank you to members of the public for their patience and understanding while we brought the incident to a safe conclusion.”
