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NORTH AMERICAN Newsline MAY 02, 2025 | The Indian Eye 20

MAYOR ADAMS, NYPD COMMISSIONER

TISCH, COMMUNITY LEADERS AND ACTIVISTS

DESTROY 3,575 SEIZED ILLEGAL FIREARMS

Shootings Down in All Five Boroughs Following Quarter with Fewest Shootings in History

OUR BUREAU
NEW YORK, NY

ew York City Mayor Eric Ad-
ams, New York City Police
NDepartment (NYPD) Com-
missioner Jessica S. Tisch, and var-
ious community and faith activists
and leaders have celebrated the de-
struction of 3,375 seized illegal hand-
guns and 200 rifles. The firearms — a
small fraction of the more than 21,400
seized firearms under the Adams ad-
ministration — were demolished at
evidence destruction vendor Reworld
in Westbury, New York to ensure a
safe and secure disposal process.
“Today, 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 il-
legal guns off to their final destination:
into a gun chipper to be turned into
scrap metal and eventually recycled,” The firearms destroyed today will first time in seven years that the city 394 in 2023, 438 in 2024, and already
said Mayor Adams. “These guns will be donated to the School of Coopera- has had zero murders in the transit 71 so far year-to-date.
never be used again to endanger an- tive Technical Education (Coop Tech), system. Additionally, quarter one had In July 2024, Mayor Adams led
other child, terrify another New York- part of New York City Public Schools. the lowest number of shootings for the charge in urging the U.S. Supreme
er, or destroy another life. Although Students who are enrolled in the Coop any three-month period in the city’s Court to uphold commonsense ghost
today’s destruction has dammed up Tech welding vocational program will recorded history. gun regulations. Along with Mayors
one more river that leads to the sea of repurpose the metal and create a me- These historic declines in gun vi- Against Illegal Guns and Manhattan
violence, we know that there is always morial to honor the many victims and olence were also accompanied by a District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr.,
more work to be done. We will keep their families who have been affected 10.9 percent reduction in overall index Mayor Adams announced the filing of
pressing for more — more officers, by gun violence. The memorial will crime across the city through March an amicus brief in the U.S. Supreme
more safety, more results. And because aim to represent not only the resilience 31, with major reductions in crime and Court in Garland v. VanDerStok, in
of our continued mission to eradicate of New York City after tragedy but shootings in all five boroughs. support of federal regulations issued
gun violence, New York City continues also act as a reminder for generations Out of the more than 21,400 guns by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
to be the safest big city in America.” to come that it is never acceptable to seized since the beginning of the Ad- Firearms and Explosives that require
“Destroying these 3,575 illegal possess an illegal firearm or commit ams administration, over 1,400 of ghost gun parts to have serial num-
guns is the final step in a process that violence against another individual. them have been identified as ghost bers and compel background checks
starts with precision policing — iden- Because of the Adams adminis- guns — unserialized, and therefore for prospective buyers of ghost gun
tifying the right targets, recovering tration’s steadfast focus on eradicating untraceable, firearms that are put to- home-assembly kits.
the right weapons, and getting them gun violence, homicides and shootings gether by components purchased ei- Ending gun violence continues to
off our streets for good,” said NYPD have consistently declined over the ther as a kit or as separate pieces or be Mayor Adams’ top priority. In his
Commissioner Tisch. “Every one of last three years, dropping a total of printed through 3-D printers, and that first month in office, in January 2022,
these guns was in the hands of some- 22.7 percent and 42.2 percent, respec- are fully-functioning just like fully-fin- Mayor Adams released the “Blueprint
one who never should’ve had it. And tively. Through the first three months ished, serialized firearms. These un- to End Gun Violence,” which laid out
each one represents a violent act that of 2025, homicides decreased by 34.4 traceable firearms often end up in the his priorities to immediately address
was prevented because the NYPD percent and shootings decreased by hands of criminals, as well as underage the crisis of guns on New York City
got there first. This is how you drive 23.1 percent compared to the same purchasers. Incidents involving ghost streets. Pursuant to the blueprint, in
down shootings, and it’s exactly what period the previous year, representing guns reflect a dangerously escalating March 2022, the NYPD launched its
we’ll keep doing. Thank you to Mayor 50 fewer shooting victims. Quarter one trend, one that the NYPD is leading Neighborhood Safety Teams to focus
Adams for giving us the tools, the sup- of 2025 had the second-lowest num- the charge against. The NYPD recov- on gun violence prevention in areas
port, and the backing to do this work ber of homicides in the city’s recorded ered 17 ghost guns in 2018, 48 in 2019, that account for a disproportionate
at the highest level.” first-quarter history, and marked the 150 in 2020, 263 in 2021, 585 in 2022, number of citywide shootings.

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