{"id":36691,"date":"2025-04-25T16:14:55","date_gmt":"2025-04-25T16:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/?p=36691"},"modified":"2025-04-25T16:14:55","modified_gmt":"2025-04-25T16:14:55","slug":"mayor-adams-nypd-commissioner-tisch-community-leaders-and-activists-destroy-3575-seized-illegal-firearms-furthering-mission-to-end-gun-violence-and-keep-new-yorkers-safe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/archives\/36691","title":{"rendered":"Mayor Adams, NYPD Commissioner Tisch, community leaders and activists destroy 3,575 seized illegal firearms, furthering mission to end gun violence and keep New Yorkers safe"},"content":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and various community and faith activists and leaders celebrated the destruction of 3,375 seized illegal handguns and 200 rifles.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The firearms \u2014 a small fraction of the more than 21,400 seized firearms under the Adams administration \u2014 were demolished at evidence destruction vendor Reworld in Westbury, New York to ensure a safe and secure disposal process.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, we say goodbye and good riddance to thousands of illegal guns that no longer threaten the safety of our neighborhoods, our families, or our children by sending over 3,500 illegal guns off to their final destination: into a gun chipper to be turned into scrap metal and eventually recycled,\u201d said\u00a0Mayor Adams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese guns will never be used again to endanger another child, terrify another New Yorker, or destroy another life. Although today’s destruction has dammed up one more river that leads to the sea of violence, we know that there is always more work to be done. We will keep pressing for more \u2014 more officers, more safety, more results. And because of our continued mission to eradicate gun violence, New York City continues to be the safest big city in America.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDestroying these 3,575 illegal guns is the final step in a process that starts with precision policing \u2014 identifying the right targets, recovering the right weapons, and getting them off our streets for good,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>NYPD Commissioner Tisch.<\/p>\n

\u201cEvery one of these guns was in the hands of someone who never should\u2019ve had it. And each one represents a violent act that was prevented because the NYPD got there first. This is how you drive down shootings, and it\u2019s exactly what we\u2019ll keep doing. Thank you to Mayor Adams for giving us the tools, the support, and the backing to do this work at the highest level.\u201d<\/p>\n

The firearms destroyed today will be donated to the School of Cooperative Technical Education (Coop Tech), part of New York City Public Schools. Students who are enrolled in the Coop Tech welding vocational program will repurpose the metal and create a memorial to honor the many victims and their families who have been affected by gun violence.<\/p>\n

The memorial will aim to represent not only the resilience of New York City after tragedy but also act as a reminder for generations to come that it is never acceptable to possess an illegal firearm or commit violence against another individual.<\/p>\n

Because of the Adams administration’s steadfast focus on eradicating gun violence, homicides and shootings have consistently declined over the last three years, dropping a total of 22.7 percent and 42.2 percent, respectively.<\/p>\n

Through the first three months of 2025, homicides decreased by 34.4 percent and shootings decreased by 23.1 percent compared to the same period the previous year, representing 50 fewer shooting victims.<\/p>\n

Quarter one of 2025 had the second-lowest number of homicides in the city\u2019s recorded first-quarter history, and marked the first time in seven years that the city has had zero murders in the transit system. Additionally, quarter one had the lowest number of shootings for any three-month period in the city\u2019s recorded history.<\/p>\n

These historic declines in gun violence were also accompanied by a 10.9 percent reduction in overall index crime across the city through March 31, with major reductions in crime and shootings in all five boroughs.<\/p>\n

Out of the more than 21,400 guns seized since the beginning of the Adams administration, over 1,400 of them have been identified as ghost guns \u2014 unserialized, and therefore untraceable, firearms that are put together by components purchased either as a kit or as separate pieces or printed through 3-D printers, and that are fully-functioning just like fully-finished, serialized firearms. These untraceable firearms often end up in the hands of criminals, as well as underage purchasers.<\/p>\n

Incidents involving ghost guns reflect a dangerously escalating trend, one that the NYPD is leading the charge against. The NYPD recovered 17 ghost guns in 2018, 48 in 2019, 150 in 2020, 263 in 2021, 585 in 2022, 394 in 2023, 438 in 2024, and already 71 so far year-to-date.<\/p>\n

In July 2024, Mayor Adams led the charge in urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold commonsense ghost gun regulations.<\/p>\n

Along with Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr., Mayor Adams announced the filing of an amicus brief in the US supreme court in Garland v. VanDerStok\u00a0,\u00a0<\/em>in support of federal regulations issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives that require ghost gun parts to have serial numbers and compel background checks for prospective buyers of ghost gun home-assembly kits.<\/p>\n

Ending gun violence continues to be Mayor Adams\u2019 top priority. In his first month in office, in January 2022, Mayor Adams released the \u201cblueprint to end gun violence\u201d which laid out his priorities to immediately address the crisis of guns on New York City streets. Pursuant to the blueprint, in March 2022, the NYPD launched its\u00a0neighboring safety teams\u00a0to focus on gun violence prevention in areas that account for a disproportionate number of citywide shootings.<\/p>\n

Mayor Adams\u2019 comprehensive gun violence strategy also includes upstream solutions guided by the gun violence prevention task force\u00a0he established in June 2022, which focuses on diversion programs, prevention efforts, and expanded opportunities for young people \u2014 all targeting the root causes of gun violence to ensure a safer environment for all New Yorkers.<\/p>\n

The task force\u2019s commitments are formalized in the \u201cblueprint for community safety\u201d an investment of nearly $500 million to create safer, more resilient communities, with a focus on intervention and prevention.<\/p>\n

The Adams administration also leads the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership, a 30+ multi-agency law enforcement partnership focused on strengthening investigations and prosecutions of the most severe gun offenders who drive violence in New York City.<\/p>\n

Members of the team meet every weekday morning to review felony gun violence arrests from the previous 24 hours and share intelligence to ensure perpetrators are held accountable and New Yorkers are kept safe. The partnership reviewed more than 700 cases in 2024, resulting in 85.5 percent of individuals held on bail or remand.<\/p>\n

\u201cThese-firearms were used to destroy lives and communities,\u201d said\u00a0Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is sad that we continue to see so many guns in our city, but we will keep working together to remove them from the hands of criminals.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe destruction of deadly weapons keeps them off our streets and out of the hands of people intent on causing harm,\u201d said\u00a0Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.<\/p>\n

\u201cI commend the mayor, the New York City Police Department, and my prosecutors for their dedication to working to protect all New Yorkers from gun violence as we continue to see historic decreases in shootings and murders in Brooklyn and elsewhere.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRemoving illegal guns off our streets is vital to ensuring lasting public safety in our city, and I welcome the destruction and removal of these dangerous weapons that directly threaten the safety of all New Yorkers,\u201d said\u00a0Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough our strong collaboration with the\u00a0police\u00a0commissioner and\u00a0mayor, shootings were\u00a0down 45\u00a0percent,\u00a0and homicides were\u00a0down 20\u00a0percent\u00a0in Manhattan between 2021 and 2024, and we will continue to take an aggressive and holistic approach to combatting gun violence.”<\/p>\n

“Without a doubt, the prevalence of illegal firearms, including untraceable ghost guns and deadly assault weapons, make New York City less safe. Working with our dedicated partners in the NYPD, the men and women of my office have worked tirelessly to remove these dangerous weapons from our communities, prevent acts of gun violence whenever possible, and hold those who perpetrate these horrific and senseless\u00a0crimes accountable in the courtroom,\u201d said\u00a0<\/strong>Staten Island District Attorney Michael E. McMahon.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWith shooting incidents down nearly 20 percent across New York City this year, and an even steadier decrease in shooting victims here on Staten Island, law enforcement and our partners in government are finally seeing success in our battle against the scourge of gun violence. While there remains much work to do, the seizure and destruction of approximately 3,000 illegal firearms will undoubtedly make Staten Island and New York City as a whole safer. I commend our partners in government and the incredible men and women of the NYPD for their commitment to ridding our neighborhoods of these deadly weapons and look forward to continuing our work together to keep Staten Island the safest community of 500,000 residents in the country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no gun manufacturers in New York City, yet illegal guns too often end up here and are used to wreak havoc on the lives of so many innocent New Yorkers,\u201d said\u00a0Queens Borough President Donovan Richards Jr.<\/p>\n

\u201cI know the unimaginable pain of losing a close friend to gun violence, so I join with countless Queens residents in saying good riddance to these awful guns that have just been destroyed. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement, government, and community partners to close the iron pipeline, rid the streets of illegal weapons, and keep families safe from senseless gun violence.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams, New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch, and various community and faith activists and leaders celebrated the destruction of 3,375 seized illegal handguns and 200 rifles. The firearms \u2014 a small fraction of the more than 21,400 seized firearms under the Adams administration \u2014 were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":36692,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1469,31,1378],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-36691","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-york","category-news","category-us"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36691","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=36691"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36691\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":36693,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/36691\/revisions\/36693"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/36692"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=36691"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=36691"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vosa.tv\/eng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=36691"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}