Mayor Adams pronounces the removing of greater than 2,200 unlawful firearms from New York Metropolis streets for the reason that begin of 2025.
Photograph courtesy Workplace of the Mayor of the Metropolis of New York
New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams and New York Metropolis Police Division (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Tuesday, June 3, introduced that the NYPD has already eliminated greater than 2,200 unlawful firearms from New York Metropolis streets for the reason that starting of 2025 — bringing the whole variety of firearms seized for the reason that begin of Adams administration to 22,016.
Adams mentioned the numerous firearm seizure determine represents greater than 3,000 further unlawful weapons faraway from New York Metropolis streets in comparison with the three years earlier than he got here into workplace, between 2019 and 2021 — all resulting in a 53.9 p.c lower in shootings and a 41.4 p.c lower in homicides below Adams’ management.
Tuesday’s announcement comes throughout Nationwide Gun Violence Consciousness Month — a time to honor victims of gun violence and name for significant motion to finish it.
“This Nationwide Gun Violence Consciousness Month, as we honor and bear in mind victims of gun crimes, we’re making good on our promise to eradicate gun violence from our metropolis, as soon as and for all,” mentioned Mayor Adams. “For the reason that starting of this 12 months alone, the NYPD has already eliminated greater than 2,200 unlawful firearms off our streets — weapons that may not threaten the security of our neighborhoods, our households, or our youngsters.
“Every unlawful gun we take off our streets is saving lives and damming up another river that results in the ocean of violence,” he added. “And, because of this, final month, we noticed document decreases in shootings and homicides — serving to result in the bottom variety of shootings and homicides year-to-date in recorded historical past.
“Because of the tireless work of the NYPD, and the upstream and downstream investments our administration is making, New York Metropolis stays the most secure large metropolis in America,” the mayor continued.
“At present, the mayor introduced an unprecedented achievement: the bottom variety of shootings and homicides in recorded historical past over the primary 5 months of the 12 months,” mentioned NYPD Commissioner Tisch. “Outcomes like this by no means occur accidentally, and positively not at a time when the state’s prison justice legal guidelines have made a revolving door out of our prison justice system.
“Right here’s how your mayor and your NYPD cops delivered the most secure January–Could for gun violence in New York Metropolis’s historical past: three-plus years of relentlessly going after weapons on our streets and a data-driven policing technique that places extra cops in the fitting locations on the proper occasions to do what they do higher than anybody else on the planet,” she added. “We is not going to let up. Our summer season violence discount plan is daring and aggressive and designed to proceed driving the identical historic security good points.”
Adams mentioned the NYPD is one in every of New York Metropolis’s first strains of protection towards gun violence, stating that officers “proceed to save lots of numerous lives day by day by persevering with to take unlawful firearms off the streets.”
The mayor mentioned final 12 months marked the fourth-lowest 12 months in recorded historical past for capturing incidents citywide, and from January by Could 2025, shootings and homicides declined to historic lows, with homicides falling 27.3 p.c to 112 homicides, and capturing incidents plummeting to 264, or declining 20 p.c.
In Could 2025, Adams mentioned capturing incidents decreased by 38.6 p.c in comparison with the earlier 12 months, representing 41 fewer capturing victims, following a lower of 23.1 p.c in shootings within the first quarter of 2025 (January to March) — the bottom variety of capturing incidents in New York Metropolis’s recorded historical past for any quarter.
Total, the mayor mentioned main crimes additionally proceed to development downward.
In Could 2025, he mentioned there was a 4.9 p.c lower in main crime citywide, led by double digit declines in homicide, which plummeted 45.5 p.c, and housebreaking, which was down 12.5 p.c.
Adams mentioned vital declines continued in theft, felony assault, and grand larceny, leading to 3,128 fewer victims of main crime in New York Metropolis up to now this 12 months, when in comparison with the identical interval final 12 months.
“Each firearm taken off a metropolis avenue is just one a part of the equation — guaranteeing significant penalties for the small share of New Yorkers who possess unlawful firearms and commit violence towards each other,” Adam mentioned.
“The 2019 state legislative modifications to discovery had been needed to enhance the equity of the prison justice system, nevertheless, a number of the penalties have crippled the system, resulting in case dismissals for technical violations and elevated case processing occasions, together with for firearm prices,” he added.
“Previous to discovery reform, native district attorneys declined to prosecute or dismissed 32 p.c of non-violent felony circumstances in New York Metropolis — that quantity elevated to 51 p.c in 2023,” he continued.
Out of the greater than 22,000 weapons seized for the reason that starting of the Adams administration, almost 1,500 of them have been recognized as ghost weapons — un-serialized, and, due to this fact. untraceable, firearms which are put collectively by parts bought both as a package or as separate items or printed by 3-D printers, and which are totally functioning as fully-finished, serialized firearms.
“These untraceable firearms typically find yourself within the arms of criminals, in addition to underage purchasers,” Adams mentioned.
He mentioned incidents involving ghost weapons mirror “a dangerously escalating development — one which the NYPD is main the cost towards.”
