Over 20,000 illegal firearms seized by NYPD since 2022, Mayor Eric Adams says
NEW YORK (WABC) -- Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday announced what he called a major public safety milestone for New York City.
Adams says the NYPD has removed over 20,000 illegal firearms from the streets since his administration began in 2022.
The seizure of guns was 3,000 more than the previous three-year period from 2019 to 2021.
"That's 20,000 weapons that can no longer threaten the safety of New Yorkers, and our neighborhoods and our families," said Adams.
As the city shifted its focus to eradicating gun violence the last three years, gun arrests were up 8% compared to 2019 through 2021. Among them, more than 1,400 were ghost guns.
"Every single gun we seize is a potential life saved and tragedy averted, and we will continue our efforts to crack down on illegal trafficking and protect New Yorkers from this violence," added NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch.
Adams also acknowledged that from 2022 until now, homicides decreased a total of 22.7% and shootings overall decreased 42.2%.
Last year was the fourth-lowest year for shooting incidents citywide since the NYPD CompStat management system began tracking crime statistics in 1993.
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