Since the start of January, the New York Police Department has confiscated more than 4,500 illegal firearms. NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch, New York State Attorney General Letitia James and the district attorneys of the Big Apple’s five boroughs jointly announced the preventive success. In their view, the efforts contributed significantly to the lowest number of shootings, shooting victims and murders in the city’s history during the first nine months of the year.
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“Since the start of this year, NYPD officers have removed more than 4,500 firearms from our streets, driving shootings and murders to historic lows,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said at a special press conference held on October 29. “These outstanding results are the product of our strategy of precision policing: sending officers to where violence is concentrated, dismantling the gangs responsible for driving it, and relentlessly going after the illegal firearms that fuel it. I thank the brave officers of our department who put this strategy into action, as well as Attorney General Letitia James and the district attorneys of New York’s five boroughs for the cooperation that is making our communities safer,” the head of the New York police added. In total, 4,503 firearms have been seized this year: 1,239 in Brooklyn, 1,095 in Manhattan, 1,055 in the Bronx, 868 in Queens and 246 on Staten Island. The seized weapons included 270 so-called ghost guns, meaning firearms without serial numbers, which criminals often use. The NYPD’s efforts to remove guns from the streets and dismantle the most dangerous criminal groups helped bring about New York’s lowest rates in years for shootings, people shot and murders during the first nine months of the year. By comparison, in 2021 New York recorded its highest level of gun violence in 16 years. Just five years later, in 2026, the number of shootings and people injured in them had fallen citywide by nearly 60 percent from that peak.
“I am proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the brave members of the New York police in our continuing efforts to reduce gun violence,” Letitia James, New York State attorney general, said at the press conference. “Thanks to the hard work of the NYPD, more than 4,500 firearms have been removed from our streets this year. To that come hundreds of guns taken out of the community through gun buyback programs run by my office, as well as more than 10,500 guns that have been taken out of circulation statewide since 2019. My office will continue to work with the NYPD and our community partners to fight gun violence in every borough and keep New York families safe,” the state attorney general added.
The district attorneys also spoke about their contribution to the success and its significance, as well as about their cooperation with the police, and complimented the NYPD commissioner. “Getting illegal firearms off our streets is critical to improving public safety and protecting our city,” said Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney. “In this borough, shootings have fallen by 67 percent and homicides by 61 percent compared with 2021. We remain fully committed to continuing to work closely with Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the police, investing in strategies that let us get guns off our streets and prevent violence in our communities,” Bragg added.
“Gun violence has taken too many lives, leaving families in despair, loved ones in mourning and entire communities facing painful losses,” said Darcel Clark, the Bronx district attorney. “This year, thanks to ongoing cooperation, we have managed to remove more than 1,000 firearms from the streets of our borough. That achievement translates into a drop in serious crime across New York City, with the most significant declines recorded in the Bronx. Every illegal gun taken from criminals gives our neighborhoods hope. I commend Commissioner Jessica Tisch and all NYPD officers for their exceptional work to improve safety in our communities,” Clark added.
Significant progress in combating gun-related crime has been recorded in Brooklyn. “The significant drop in gun violence across New York City – especially in Brooklyn, which saw the largest decline in homicides and shootings compared with last year’s record-low results – is a direct result of strong partnerships, thoughtful policing and consistent, targeted prosecution of offenders,” said Eric Gonzalez, the Brooklyn district attorney. “The NYPD’s seizure of more than 4,500 firearms this year is an extraordinary achievement that makes our communities safer every day. I thank Commissioner Jessica Tisch and the dedicated officers who do this work. At the same time, I reaffirm my commitment to holding accountable those who possess illegal guns and to building on the progress we have made together,” Gonzalez said.
Melinda Katz also spoke about the success in the borough she represents.
“Thanks to our joint efforts to get illegal guns off the streets, Queens recorded the lowest number of shootings in its history during the first nine months of this year,” said Melinda Katz, the borough’s district attorney. “I commend the police commissioner, the brave officers of the NYPD, New York State Attorney General Letitia James, and our dedicated prosecutors for their determination to ensure severe consequences for those who make, sell, transport or buy illegal guns. Every one of those guns removed from our streets means a potential tragedy that has been prevented,” Katz added.
The Staten Island district attorney was the last to speak. “The staff of my office and the officers of the New York police work every day to remove illegal guns and dangerous criminals from our streets,” Michael McMahon said. “Thanks to joint efforts over the years, tens of thousands of illegal firearms have been eliminated from our communities, including more than 4,500 that have disappeared from New York’s streets in this year alone. Thanks to the heroism of NYPD officers and my office’s commitment to court action, Staten Island has recorded historically low levels of violent crime in recent years. I commend Commissioner Jessica Tisch for her decisive leadership and all of our outstanding NYPD officers for their continued commitment to removing illegal guns from our streets and improving public safety on Staten Island,” the borough’s district attorney added.
All participants in the conference agreed that the police efforts to confiscate illegal guns helped bring violence to a historic low. The New York police recently announced that the first nine months of this year, as well as the third quarter, saw record-low numbers of shootings, shooting victims and murders. The number of shootings fell by 11.6 percent, from 553 to 489, which is 64 fewer than in the previous record period. Brooklyn and Queens recorded the lowest number of shootings in their history for the first nine months of the year: 159 and 61, respectively. The number of shooting victims fell by 14.4 percent, from 694 to 594, which is 100 fewer people injured than in the previous record years, 2018 and 2025. Compared with just five years ago, the number of New Yorkers shot with firearms this year was 846 lower than in the same period of 2021. Brooklyn, Manhattan and Queens recorded the lowest number of shooting victims in their history for this period of the year: 201 in Brooklyn, 78 in Manhattan and 69 in Queens, respectively. The number of murders fell by 19.8 percent, from 253 to 203. That is 12 fewer than in the previous record year, 2017, when there were 215 such incidents. This year, the number of murders fell in four of the five boroughs. Brooklyn and Manhattan recorded their lowest results ever: 57 and 24 murders, respectively.
The press conference also touched on the so-called violence reduction zones the NYPD introduced last summer. The program, known as the Summer Violence Reduction Plan, involved sending police officers, at the right times, to places where the risk of violence and disorder is greatest. As a result, from May 4 to September 14, the number of serious crimes fell by 20.7 percent, from 2,388 to 1,894, and the number of shootings dropped by 29.1 percent. In the zones covered by the operations, during the hours the operations ran, the number of incidents of gun use fell from 79 to 56, the number of shooting victims fell by 26.7 percent, from 105 to 77, and the number of robberies fell by 29.1 percent, from 640 to 454. Four of the five boroughs covered by the operations recorded a decline in serious crimes, while on Staten Island the level remained unchanged. The largest drop in those crimes, as much as 30.5 percent, was recorded in the Bronx, where their number fell from 1,007 to 700.
By Wojtek Maślanka
Source: Nowy Dziennik
