New York City police officials announced this week the seizure of more than 1,000 firearms from city streets in the first three months of 2026, a move praised by a prominent anti-gun violence advocate. The milestone was detailed at a press conference in Brownsville, Brooklyn, attended by NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch and New York State Attorney General Letitia James.

Jackie Rowe-Adams, founder of Harlem Mothers SAVE, shared her personal experience with gun violence, having lost two sons in separate shootings. Speaking at the event, she emphasized the urgent need to address the proliferation of illegal weapons. “As a mother who lost two kids to gun violence, I am sick and tired of being sick and tired,” Rowe-Adams, 77, stated, advocating for an end to gun-related deaths in the city. Her 17-year-old son was killed in Harlem in 1982, and another son, 28, died in Baltimore in 1998.

Commissioner Tisch outlined the NYPD's "multi-prong" approach to reducing gun violence, which she characterized as "precision policing." This strategy focuses on dismantling gangs and deploying approximately 2,000 officers nightly to neighborhoods frequently affected by gunfire. Tisch noted that significant gang takedowns could have a lasting impact on reducing violence in affected communities.

As of the announcement, a total of 1,054 firearms had been confiscated across the five boroughs since the start of the year. Brooklyn accounted for the highest number of seizures with 305 guns, followed by The Bronx with 251, and Manhattan with 240. Queens saw 194 firearms seized, and Staten Island recorded 64. Among the confiscated weapons, 52 were identified as untraceable "ghost guns."

While the department highlighted reaching over 1,000 seizures, the figure for the first three months of 2026 is lower than the more than 1,300 guns confiscated during the same period last year. Nevertheless, NYPD figures also indicate a positive trend in overall safety, reporting record-low numbers of shootings and gunshot victims in the first two months of 2026 compared to any previous year on record.