Gun Rights

Eric Adams' Gun Seizures Haven't Reduced the Number of Guns in New York City

Despite record seizures and restrictive laws, New York City has struggled to stem the tide of untraceable firearms.

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An orange background with a ATF truck in the background and a picture of Eric Adams in the foreground | Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Barry Williams | TNS | Newscom | Wikimedia Commons
(Illustration: Eddie Marshall | Barry Williams | TNS | Newscom | Wikimedia Commons)

There's a lucrative black market for guns in New York City—at least that's one way to read the news coming from Democratic Mayor Eric Adams' office. 

At a press conference on Sunday, Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced that the department has seized more than 3,000 illegal firearms since the start of 2025. The announcement was part of a larger proclamation touting the success of the Adams administration in reducing violent crime in New York City. "Each gun we take off the street is a river of violence that we are damming," said Adams, who also claims his administration has seized over 22,700 illegal firearms since 2022.

The gun laws in New York state are some of the most restrictive in the nation, and there is no explicit state constitutional right to bear arms. Since 2022, New York City has operated under a "shall-issue" licensing system. However, it still significantly restricts gun ownership and carry rights by requiring permits and licenses for virtually every aspect of firearm ownership and does not recognize permits from other states.

Adams has continued the city's restrictive gun tradition by advocating for limiting legal access to guns and funding failing public services. In 2022, Adams launched the more than $485 million Blueprint for Community Safety to address gun violence as a "public health crisis," allocating funds for mentorship, public benefits, and public spaces. However, the plan hasn't significantly limited the inventory of guns, as Adams himself has noted that for every weapon seized, "five find their way back on the street." 

The mayor has also targeted ghost guns—unserialized firearms made from DIY kits or manufactured using 3D printers—claiming that they make up 1,500 of the 22,700 guns seized during his term. In 2024, Adams and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. filed an amicus curiae brief in Garland v. VanDerStok in support of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATF). As covered by Reason's J.D. Tuccille, the lawsuit challenged the BATF's 2022 "frame or receiver" rule, which treats some unfinished gun parts kits as functioning firearms.

Yet, the number of ghost guns retrieved suggests Adams' policies have had little effect in actually reducing the number of guns on the street. The number of ghost guns seized has increased significantly from 17 in 2018 to 438 in 2024, with 137 ghost guns already seized in 2025. (For reference, the Justice Department seized 28,238 nationwide in 2022.) Despite prioritizing gun confiscation, New York City under Adams saw increased violent crime, especially among minors.

Those intent on pursuing violence do not look to laws as a guide for what weapons they can and can't use. Gun control measures like New York's simply allow alternative measures of procurement to flourish, at the expense of law-abiding citizens and their Second Amendment rights.