Transcript: Mayor Adams, NYPD Commissioner Tisch, Community Leaders and Activists Destroy 3,575 Seized Illegal Firearms, Furthering Mission to end Gun Violence and Keep New Yorkers Safe

April 24, 2025

Adel Omrani, President, Reworld, East Region: I'm Adel Omrani, I'm the president of Reworld’s East region here, and I'm very privileged and happy to welcome everybody here, especially Mayor Adams, deputy mayor, and Commissioner Tisch, as well as New York’s Finest, and everybody here. 

For more than 30 years, actually, we've been partnering with New York City and with Mayor Adams, and proudly serving the Long Island region in particular. We process here about 1.8 million tons, actually, of waste in the facility behind me here, which is about 75 percent of what the island generates in terms of waste. And we don't just process that, obviously. We actually turn it into electricity to power more than 80,000 homes here in the island. 

And by processing this, we actually, in a sustainable manner, we divert this waste also from landfills, which is equivalent of removing about a million cars off the street by not taking it to a landfill and not generating any greenhouse gases. 
Obviously, like I said, we always partner with Mayor Adams and the city to provide safe, disposable options. Last time you were here, we took care of a few tons of narcotics, I guess. This time, there won't be any odor or any of that, but we will have fun destroying these firearms, these illegal firearms that are harming our communities, and making sure that they are sustainably and destroyed, as well as making sure that we generate this extra electricity that Mayor Adams and the City of New York actually is contributing to. With that, thank you very much again for being here, and I'll pass that to the deputy mayor. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry, Public Safety: Good morning, everyone. Got my two kids with me to bring your kids to work day. They're [Landon and Maven] and they’re standing behind me. I am deputy mayor for Public Safety, Kaz Daughtry, and we are here today to give an update on our mission to protect the safety of all New Yorkers. 

As the mayor often says, there are many rivers that feed the sea of violence, and we are damming them one by one, holding people who commit crimes accountable, while investing in upstream solutions to prevent crime and violence. Since day one, this administration's priority has been to end gun violence in New York City. We have a long way to go in this fight, there's no question about that. This past week is a stark reminder of the holes left in the fabric of our communities when a shooting takes place. 
We are honored to be joined by so many members of our community who share our mission to end gun violence. This right here is how we save lives. We are in this fight together. Among our partners here today are some incredible leaders. A.T. Mitchell, founder and CEO of Man Up!, who also serves as the gun violence prevention czar, and the co-chair of the Mayor's Gun Violence Prevention Task Force. Bishop Gerald Seabrooks, Senior Pastor at Rehoboth Cathedral and president of the United Clergy Coalition. And Jackie Rowe Adams, Mama Jackie, who turns her pain into purpose, founding Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. after losing two of her sons to gun violence. 

We also have with us the police commissioner, Jessica Tisch, and members who put their lives in a line every day, serving as our first line of defense against gun violence. And now I'd like to ask the mayor of the safest big city of America to come up and give a couple of words. Mayor Eric Adams.

Mayor Eric Adams: Thank you so much, D.M. Daughtry, and really thank all these partners. As I look around and I see many of you, we have soldiered together on this pursuit of ending and ridding our communities of guns, and I think D.M. Daughtry said it best when he stated that the last two days were reminders of how important this work is. 
From our crisis management teams, to our clergy and faith-based institutions, to the everyday mothers and fathers who had to experience violence. And then to the children. As we say, bring our children to work day. This is the work that we need to do so they can continue to aspire and grow in our city.

Destroying these guns are crucial. Not only is it substantive, ridding a gun off our street, but there's a level of symbolism that's attached to it, of how we are not going to ever surrender to violence. Speaking with the son of a victim of gun violence yesterday, and talking about the beautiful life that his mom lived, and how she gave back and contributed to the Harlem community. When we lose someone prematurely to violence, it impacts us all, and even when the bullet hits the intended target, the emotional pathway does not stop. It continues to rip apart the anatomy of our city, the anatomy of our community, and that is why we're here today. 

And it's crucial that we continue this fight as we move forward. I want to just pause for a moment and just talk about, we're dealing with an air quality advisory in effect today, due to the ongoing wildfires in New Jersey, so New Yorkers may see smoke and smell smoke over the city. We're monitoring the situation closely and coordinating with New Jersey and New York State. The main impacts are to air quality for sensitive groups with respiratory issues, and this includes those who are dealing with asthma and other breathing issues. So don't forget, notify NYC, it's a great way to stay up-to-date, and you can visit nyc.gov/notify for up-to-date information. 

Now the moment we're here, and I want to again thank everyone who has joined us to move forward and help us destroy these illegal guns. And you look at them as they mount here on the table, a combination of semi-automatic weapons, revolvers, different pearl-handled guns on both of these tables. These are weapons of destruction, weapons of pain, weapons of chaos that we are removing off our streets. And we know that we have to do more, and we will do more, and this is what keeps me up at night, and I'm sure the police commissioner will say the same, is what keeps her up at night when you hear about a shooting that takes place in our city. 

We must get criminals off our streets and illegal guns out of their hands. This is what we will continue to do every day and what we were committed to do from day one in this administration. Public safety is a prerequisite to prosperity, and there's no symbol greater of the lack of public safety than a gun. And day after day, month after month, year after year, we're committed to this pursuit. 

And our administration is clear on that. When you look at the numbers, the numbers don't lie. We have removed over 21,400 illegal guns off our streets. More than 1,600 of them already been removed this year. And today, we're here to send 3,575 of these illegal guns off to their final destination into this gun chipper you see here. And I'm joined here, as we indicated, not only by advocates, not only by community leaders, not only by those who are part of the public safety apparatus, but by family members. And as they throw a gun into this chipper, I want them to call out the names of their loved ones. And the true irony and despair here is some of them will call out more than one name. 

You look at the story of Jackie Rowe-Adams losing two children to gun violence and having her to have this symbolic gesture, it is just going to continue her work and her pursuit to deal with violence. And all of these community and faith leaders, NYPDs, violent advocates, all of them represent the strength of our communities and what we believe in. 

Every one of these guns is going to be destroyed, never to be used again to threaten, kill or injure someone. Each illegal gun we destroy will save a life, if not more than one life. We're damming up one more river that leads to the sea of violence and sending a message that New York City is serious about enforcing gun laws and ending gun violence because these weapons have no place in our city or in the hands of those who are dangerous or in our society. 

Today, we're ensuring these guns will never return to our streets. They will never again endanger another child, terrify another New Yorker or destroy another life. Each and every one of these guns will be turned into scrap metal, recycled and sent to the School of Cooperative Technical Education where students in the Weldon Vocational Program will create a memorial to honor victims of gun violence. 

Public safety and justice have been our administration's top priority since day one. It is our north star and the most recent stats prove it. We have had five straight quarters of declining crime in the first three months of this year, saw the lowest number of shootings in recorded history. Think about that for a moment. The lowest number of shootings in recorded history and the second lowest number of homicides. On top of three straight years, shootings dropped significantly, fewer and fewer and fewer shootings are taking place in our city. This is what we call getting stuff done and we will continue to make history and this is the good history we want to make. 

Those five straight quarters of crime reduction, it's no accident. This is the result of leadership, strategy and hard work of the entire team and we're not sitting back on our success. We continue to forge ahead and push ahead and really want to thank Commissioner Jessica Tisch who is already leading this department to a new era of safety and success and Deputy Mayor Kaz Daughtry and his entire public safety apparatus. 

All of our community and faith leaders that are here and the brave men and women of the NYPD, they run towards gunshots while we run away from them. We can never forget the countless number of men and women who place their lives on the line to defend and protect the City of New York. Every day our team is out there doing this dangerous work, interacting with violent and far too often armed recidivists who have made up their mind to wreak havoc on our city. As your mayor, I want every one of you to know how grateful this city is for the dedication of our men and women of the public safety apparatus. 

Over three years ago we came into our determination to make the city safer and each one of these guns we're destroying is making good on that promise. From day one, this administration has mounted an all out effort to reduce gun violence. From our gun violence prevention task force to our neighborhood safety teams, I've testified before Congress about gun violence, urged the Supreme Court to uphold gun safety laws, worked with leaders and mayors across the nation, and sued the makers and marketers of ghost guns. 

Every day we convene the gun violence strategy partnership to review felony gun violence arrests and ensure perpetrators are held accountable. But we will not rest on these achievements. We will keep pressing for more, more officers, more safety, more results, and better laws. This administration is about going the distance, not pausing halfway through the fight. 

With our long term plans to keep New Yorkers safe, we will be victorious. We will continue to dam up the rivers of gun violence, continue foot patrols in high crime areas both above ground and throughout our transit system, open up more playgrounds and community centers for young people to play, invest in safety of our schools, and ensure that New York City remains the greatest and the safest big city in America. 

Because of that steadfast focus on eradicating gun violence, New York City is just that, the safest big city in America. Keeping us safe is what we will do. This is an all hands on deck issue, and I am thankful for all the hands that are here today to make sure we destroy these weapons of destruction. Thank you very much.

Deputy Mayor Daughtry: Thank you, Mr. Mayor. I would now like to bring up to the podium the Police Commissioner of the City of New York, Jessica Tisch.

Police Commissioner Jessica Tisch: Thank you, Mayor Adams and deputy mayor. The symbolism of what we're doing this morning shouldn't be lost on anyone. Nearly 3,600 illegal firearms, the cause of so much destruction, shredded, scrapped, and recycled into building materials. I can't think of a more fitting tagline for the trash revolution than that. 

These deadly weapons will never again be a threat. Instead, they will be a reminder, melted and welded together to create a memorial to the victims of gun violence. That memorial, as the mayor said, will be designed and constructed by the students at Co-op Tech in East Harlem. And I want to thank them for taking on this important project. This city, led by this public safety mayor, has made it clear. These guns have no place in our neighborhoods. They stoked fear, inflicted pain, and destroyed lives. And they belong right here, in the tear box of an industrial metal shredder. 

Getting them here isn't easy though. It's dangerous, daring work. And no one does it better than the women and men of the New York City Police Department. As the mayor said, we have seized more than 21,400 illegal firearms since his administration began. 

That's about 18 guns every single day for more than 1,200 days. In that same time, the NYPD made more than 14,000 gun arrests. And in 2022, our officers made the most gun arrests in 27 years. None of this is by accident. It's strategy, precision, and a clear focus on the mayor's mandate. Get the guns and stop the shootings. 

In the year before Mayor Adams took office, shooting incidents in our city were at a 15 year high. Shooting victims had more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels. And murders were at the highest they'd been in a decade. This was an epidemic. Gun violence has become a real public health crisis and no corner of our city was spared. The people standing here with us know this all too well. 

Families torn apart, bright futures destroyed, and communities searching for answers. This damage is irreparable. So our work must prevent gun violence, not just react to it. That's been the mayor's directive from the beginning, and the NYPD is seeing it through. We put more cops out on patrol. We launched focused daily deployments in our city's most violent areas. We targeted the trigger pullers, and we saw what happened. 

In the first quarter of 2025, shootings went down more than 23 percent citywide. It wasn't just the lowest first quarter in recorded history. It was the lowest quarter ever. Shootings in the Bronx went down by 33 percent. In both Manhattan and Queens, they declined by 25 percent and citywide shooting victims fell by 23 percent. 

We are making real, significant progress, but we still have work to do. The women and men of the NYPD, they will never stop fighting to rid our streets of illegal firearms and to hold the criminals who carry them accountable. I want to thank Mayor Adams, our faith leaders, community partners, and everyone else who stands with us in this fight, and most of all, thank you to the brave NYPD cops who put their own lives on the line every day. It takes a truly special type of person to do this job, and it is the greatest privilege of my life to work alongside them. Thank you.

Deputy Mayor Daughtry: Thank you, Police Commissioner. Now we'd like to bring up Bishop Gerald Seabrooks.

Bishop Gerald Seabrooks: Well, the Lord Jesus Christ says, if you don't believe me, believe me for the very works that I've done. We're here to say, this mayor has been faithful to his word to reduce public safety and crime in our city. And on behalf of Black and brown people who have suffered the most, we want to thank you. Thank you. You can be trusted, you're reliable and faithful. 

Mayor Eric Adams has made public safety a key issue for his administration. We not only see the results, but we feel safe when we walk the streets. We've been praying for the Police Department. We've been praying for this mayor. And now we can see tourism is back, our streets are safe. And we want to thank this mayor for the phenomenal job that he's doing to rid guns off our streets. Let's continue to pray for him. And this is the safest city in the world.

Deputy Mayor Daughtry: Thank you. Thank you, Bishop. Now, last but certainly not least, Mama Jackie Rowe-Adams.

Jackie Rowe-Adams, Founder and CEO, Harlem Mothers and Fathers S.A.V.E: Thank you. Good morning, Long Island. We are in a safe space out here because you are our partners. And thank God, thank God that I'm standing here this morning with one of the baddest mayors in New York City. And I'm serious. Because see, what some people don't know, because a lot of times the news don't talk about it, but I'm going to talk about it. 

He's been doing this work of gun safety from 2006, right, Herb? Tony, you've been standing with me? A.T., standing with me? Because this mayor here started, helped start Harlem Mothers S.A.V.E. A mother like myself, who lost two kids to gun violence. And I wanted to lay down, but God said, get up. And when I reached out, and Assemblyman Keith Wright reached out to the mayor, he wasn't the mayor, he was the sergeant of NYPD. And he was the president of the 100 Blacks in Law Enforcement [Who Care]. And what was they doing then? Talking about gun violence, talking about getting these guns off the street and shut down. And I'm not ashamed, but I'm disappointed in Harlem. 

In 2006, he shut down two bodegas selling guns. But now, thank God, Harlem is alive. Harlem is safe. Harlem is not doing all that gun violence, because in, people say, in his four years, he ain't four years yet. He ain't no four years. He did this work in one year. And we're here to talk about it. In one year, Mayor Adams, the strongest man I know. I ain't talking about strong as a mayor, I'm talking about strong as a person, because he's still standing. 

He got a lot done in one year that any mayor have ever did in four years. And do you see everybody standing up here? Do you see everybody here? He ain't by himself, he's not alone. Thank God for NYPD. Thank God for the leadership of this mayor and our Commissioner Tisch, and all these chiefs that they put in place, and NYPD leadership. Because you know why, he can't do it alone. 

I said it yesterday, when I spoke it, the 61-year-old grandmother walks out and a bullet hit her. But thank God, 35 more hundred, 36 more hundred guns is coming off the street. From killing our children, our grandparents. And the good thing is, this is the only city that is melting these guns and giving them to education. 

Let's clap it up for education. Education. And I want to say, I just talked about A.T. Mitchell this morning. To our commissioner, I call him my angel, Commissioner Howard. Saying, you know, all of us, and Tony Howard, we started this fight when it was nobody talking about it. And we started this fight, and look where we are today. Thank you, Mayor Adams. Thank you. 

The mothers and fathers of this city could sleep well tonight. Because not only the 20,000 or 20, hey listen, let me say 30, 40,000 has been taken off this street. But now we're here today, we're going to melt these guns, and my two kids from heaven is going to be looking down saying, thank you, Mayor Adams. Thank you, New York City. 

Because these guns, 36 lives will be saved. Will be saved. So I want all of us, and all of the city, and all of the state, and all of Long Island, to pay attention to what's going on and support this man, support NYPD, and just support this city. It's saving lives, and let's stop this violence. Let's stop this violence. And let's stop talking about each other and doing nothing. Do something, do something, work with our mayor, work with our city. God bless all of you, and enough is enough. Let's stop this violence.

Question: I wanted to ask you about these guns. Why were these chosen, since it's just a portion of the ones you seized? What type of crimes have they been used in? And then my last question, everybody brought it up. Today the crushing is symbolic, but what's the message you wanna send to New Yorkers, especially in the wake of yesterday's fatal shooting in Harlem?

Mayor Adams: Great question, and these guns are representative of the over 21,000 that we have removed off the streets of the city. And over 1,600, close to 1,600 I believe that we've done this year. And when you hear about shootings like a 61-year-old grandmother, that was an innocent bystander, we should not lose sight of that. 

When you hear about those shootings, there's a level of fear that engulfs our city, because it breaks our heart, and at the same time people think about their loved ones. But we want to send a clear message to the city, those high profile, unfortunate incidents is not an indicator of the direction the city is going. The commissioner indicated this quarter, from January through March, with the lowest number of shootings in recorded history in the city. 

We have a lot of work to do, but I want the city to know that work is being done. The men and women of the NYPD and all of our law enforcement communities, and the strategies we put in place, we want to eradicate all shootings like that. But it's imperative that the city knows that we are moving in the right direction, and we're gonna continue to forge ahead so we don't have these unfortunate incidents. A city of 8.3 million people, if I visit cities across the country and look at an analysis of those cities and what they're going through, the numbers are clear. 

This is the safest big city in America, and we want to match the actual numbers where people are feeling safe. But Kelly, it's important also to, the commissioner talks about it often. When our lawmakers do things that are harmful to public safety, they are at a step with the men and women of this city. When you want to disband a database, a gang database that allows us to close cases. 

When you allow those who have recidivism, continuous violence in our city to continue to walk the streets. The person who was involved in the shooting yesterday, he was just arrested less than a year ago for robbery and stabbing two people. This is what's making our job harder. Criminal justice system includes police, judiciary, and legislators. They all must be engaged on the same path with the people who are behind me. 

I'm going to say this over and over again, and it needs to become a constant message. This is a day when we have to decide whose side are you on. Whose side are you on? Are you on the side of cuddling and protecting people who are inflicting violence on innocent people? Or are you on the side of the innocent people? I'm on the side of the innocent people. And all of these cases, Kelly, are closed, and that's why we're able to destroy them. We're not going to destroy a gun that the case is still open. Okay, we're going to destroy some guns?

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