New York City destroys more than 3,500 seize illegal firearms

New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Thursday celebrated the destruction of 3,375 seized illegal handguns and 200 rifles.

The firearms were only a small portion of the more than 21,400 seized firearms seized since Adams took over the administration.

The weapons were loaded onto a conveyor belt and fed to a gun chipper to be turned into scrap metal and recycled.

“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 illegal guns off to their final destination: into a gun chipper to be turned into scrap metal and eventually recycled,” Adams said at a press conference. 

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“These 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 — 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.”

As the guns were put through the shredder, Adams asked the families of those affected by gun violence to call out their slain relatives’ names.

“I want to thank them for taking on this important project,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. “These guns have no place in our neighborhoods. They stoked fear, inflicted pain, and destroyed lives. And they belong right here, in the tear box of an industrial metal shredder.”

The recycled firearm material is being donated to the School of Cooperative Technical Education (Coop Tech) where students will weld the metal into a memorial to honor victims and their families who have been affected by gun violence.

An official statement from Mayor Adams said that out of the more than 21,400 guns seized since the beginning of his administration, over 1,400 of them have been identified as ghost guns.

These are unserialized and untraceable firearms that are through 3-D printers.  These types of firearms often end up in the hands of criminals, as well as underage purchasers, according to the statement. 

Since 2018, the NYPD has recovered nearly 2,000 ghost guns. 

In Adams’ first month in office, he released the “Blueprint to End Gun Violence,” which laid out his priorities to immediately address the crisis of guns on New York City streets. 

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In March 2022, the NYPD launched its Neighborhood Safety Teams to focus on gun violence prevention in areas that account for a disproportionate number of citywide shootings.

“From day one, this administration has mounted an all out effort to reduce gun violence,” Adams said. “From our gun violence prevention task force to our neighborhood safety teams, I’ve testified before Congress about gun violence, urged the Supreme Court to uphold gun safety laws, worked with leaders and mayors across the nation, and sued the makers and marketers of ghost guns.”