NYPD Pulls 3,259 Guns Off NYC Streets as Murders Hit an All-Time Low — But Contested Database Behind the Numbers Draws Fresh Scrutiny

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - DECEMBER 06: Guns of various sizes and calibers are displayed at a news conference following a gun buyback event in the East New York section of Brooklyn on December 06, 2025 in New York City. The event, which took over 160 weapons off the streets, offered people up to $1,500 and a free pair of Apple AirPods for firearms, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. Attendees were also offered $200 bank cards for ghost guns or 3D-printed guns, with a limit of two per person, $75 bank cards for rifles or shotguns, and $25 for air guns, imitation pistols, and non-operable firearms. The event was held in East New York, Brooklyn, which has one of the highest shooting rates in New York City. (Credit: Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

NYPD officers took 3,259 illegal firearms off New York City streets during the first seven months of 2026, a haul Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch tied directly to the city's steepest crime decline in decades. Of that total, 199 were so-called ghost guns — homemade or kit-assembled firearms with no serial number, built specifically to slip past background-check laws and trace requirements. The NYPD announced the figures on August 11, timing the release to the fifth anniversary of the multi-agency task force it credits with driving the seizures.

A Five-Year Partnership Behind the Numbers