NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — Governor Kathy Hochul announced Wednesday that state police agencies have seized over 6,000 illegal guns from across New York since the beginning of the year, a 20 percent increase from 2021.
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The news came prior to a meeting of the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, a nine-state committee that was formed in January to deal with the problems of the iron pipeline from the south and gun shows in nearby Pennsylvania, among other routes of firearm trafficking.
"My administration is laser focused on stopping the devastation caused by gun violence in communities across the state, and we continue to take bold action to face this crisis head on," Governor Hochul said. "This record number of gun seizures is the result of an unprecedented, nation-leading coordinated response among dedicated law enforcement professionals on the local and federal levels. I'd rather be in the crime prevention business than the crime solving business, and thanks to the first-of-its-kind Interstate Gun Task Force, that's exactly what we are doing together."
The task force, touted as a national model for other regions to emulate, launched 481 investigations which led to the 6,007 seizures. A majority of the confiscations, 4,700, came form New York City, Mayor Eric Adams said.
“But even some of the trigger pullers and shooters have become too comfortable with discharging a weapon and carrying a weapon,” Adams added.
New York State Police also seized 1,468 guns from August 2021 to July 2022 which was the highest number in the history of the agency, a 140 percent increase compared to the previous year when authorities seized 612 guns.
“The increasing number of illegal gun seizures by State Police and our law enforcement partners shows the progression we've made in combating the infiltration of illegal guns in New York,” New York State Police Superintendent Kevin P. Bruen said. "Our numbers prove the seizure of illegal guns is no small matter. These efforts are an integral part of protecting our communities and the importation and possession of illegal guns will not be tolerated."
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