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COMMUNITY OP-ED FEBRUARY 07, 2025 | The Indian Eye 11

Getting 20,000 Illegal Guns Off

Our Streets for a Safer City

For three years in a row, the number of homicides and shootings have both declined by double digits:

homicides are down by almost 23 percent, and shootings are down by more than 42 percent. That

means we’ve saved 268 additional lives and seen 1,500 fewer shooting victims

And last year saw the lowest amount of gun ing two officers on every single subway during the
violence in the history of Brooklyn, while over- overnight hours to keep New Yorkers safe.
all crime plummeted by 15 percent in December That was my promise to you three years ago
across the entire city. Because of our steadfast and continues to be my promise to you today.
focus on eradicating gun violence, New York City When others wanted to defund the police, I de-
continues to be the safest big city in America. fended them, because fighting for your safety is
As we begin the New Year, our priority re- what you elected me to do. And the NYPD will
mains the same: keeping New Yorkers safe by keep working hard — seizing guns, dismantling
continuing to address gun violence and removing trafficking pipelines, and preventing shootings be-
illegal firearms from our city. NYPD officers have fore they happen — to make New York City even
already confiscated over 350 firearms in the first safer.
few weeks of 2025. But we can — and we will — go We are also supporting efforts to stop recidi-
further. vists from committing more crimes, building stron-
In the last few months, we have seen random ger bonds between the police and the communities
ERIC ADAMS acts of violence that have shaken many New York- they serve, and creating opportunities for young
ers. We all know safety is about more than just people to stay safe and find purpose. With initia-
rom the moment I was sworn in as your may- statistics — people must be safe and they must tives like our Neighborhood Safety Teams and
or three years ago, our primary mission has FEEL safe. Nothing does a better job in translat- the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force, we will
Fbeen to create safer streets, safer subways, ing perception to reality than the presence of that continue to make the smart, upstream investments
and a safer city for New York families. That means familiar blue uniform. So, we are putting hundreds that dam the rivers of violence and prevent crime
tackling the issue of gun violence head-on and of additional police officers out on patrol, includ- from happening in the first place.
working to get illegal guns out of the hands of crim-
inals before they can cause more harm.
The numbers are in, and I am proud to say
that our administration made significant prog-
ress in getting guns off our streets and out of our
communities. As of last week, we have confiscat-
ed more than 20,000 illegal firearms since we first
took office. That is 20,000 weapons that no longer
threaten the safety of our neighborhoods, our fam-
ilies, and our children; 20,000 fewer chances that
a New Yorker is shot or killed; and 20,000 rivers
of violence dammed up before they flood our city.
This statistic is more than just a large number —
it’s a major milestone for our city and a clear shift
in the right direction.
We’ve also taken 3,000 more guns off our
streets from 2022 through 2024 than in the previ-
ous three-year period. And of the 20,000 guns we
have seized, more than 1,400 of them have been
identified as ghost guns — the untraceable fire-
arms that are far too easy to obtain and assemble.
We are removing dangerous guns off our streets Nothing does a better job in translating perception to reality than the presence of that familiar blue uniform. So, NYC is putting
and keeping our communities safe — and our
strategy is working. hundreds of additional police officers out on patrol (File photo)
For three years in a row, the number of homi-
cides and shootings have both declined by double As I said in my State of the City address ear- play in. Every gun we take off our streets gets us
digits: homicides are down by almost 23 percent, lier this month, we must make New York City the another step closer to that goal. And every day, I
and shootings are down by more than 42 percent. best place in the world to raise a family — and that will continue to work to end gun violence in our
That means we’ve saved 268 additional lives and starts with safer streets for our families to walk city and our nation.
seen 1,500 fewer shooting victims. down, safer transit to ride on, and safer parks to Eric Adams is the Mayor of New York City, NY

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