NYPD seized more than 3K guns this year as historic downturn in shootings continues

The NYPD has taken more than 3,000 guns off the streets of the Big Apple this year, as the number of shootings in the five boroughs continues to dip to historic lows, police brass said Tuesday.

The whopping number of seizures, which included 199 untraceable “ghost guns,” comes as the department revealed last week that the number of murders, shootings and gunshot victims in the city had hit all-time lows through the first seven months of the year, officials said.

“This milestone is a direct result of our precision-policing strategy: putting officers where and when they are needed most, identifying the drivers of violence, and taking guns off our streets,” NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced.

“I thank the brave NYPD officers who execute this work and our law enforcement partners, including the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership, who help us build strong cases, hold criminals accountable, and keep our city safe,” Tisch added.

In all, New York’s Finest seized 3,259 guns since January, led by 915 in Brooklyn, 782 in the Bronx and 764 in Manhattan over the seven-month span.

Another 605 were taken off the streets of Queens and 193 in Staten Island, police said.

Tisch said the focus on gun seizures is part of the department’s drive to tackle shootings, which have reached historic lows this year, including the fewest number of murders in New York City history over the first six months of the year.

The numbers are part of a trend — the first four months of 2026 saw a 9.5% drop in major crimes.

Through the end of July, Tisch said cops reported 381 shootings in the five boroughs, surpassing the previous record of 412, set over the same period just last year.

Meanwhile, the number of shooting victims also set a new low, with 462 compared to 489 over the same span last year, while the 149 murders so far this year also set a new record, beating the 174 murders recorded over the first seven months of 2017, the commissioner said.

The department credited a new initiative that uses data to target areas prone to violent crime and gunplay based on tracked trends. Since launching the Summer Violence Reduction Plan on May 4, major crime has dipped nearly 25% in the city through Aug. 10, police said.

“Brooklyn is experiencing a public safety renaissance, with record-shattering declines in
homicides and shootings, and no murders for almost a full month this summer,” Brooklyn
District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said in a statement Tuesday.

“Taking over 3,000 illegal guns off city streets is an important component of this ongoing success, and I thank the NYPD for the hard and diligent work that keeps us all safe,” Gonzalez said.

Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg added, “Every illegal gun off our streets can prevent a potential tragedy.”