The New York Police Department says law enforcement agencies have removed more than 3,200 firearms from New York City streets so far in 2026, as officials credit a coordinated multiagency strategy with helping drive shootings and murders to historically low levels.
NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch announced the figures alongside federal, state and local law enforcement partners. Police crossed the 3,000-gun threshold on July 27, less than two months after reaching 2,000 seizures in early June, and have since recovered more than 200 additional firearms.
The total has reached 3,259 guns, according to figures reported following the announcement. Brooklyn accounted for the largest number, with 915 firearms recovered, followed by the Bronx with 782, Manhattan with 764, Queens with 605 and Staten Island with 193.
Of particular concern to authorities are so-called “ghost guns” — privately assembled or manufactured firearms that lack conventional serial numbers and can therefore be much more difficult for investigators to trace. The NYPD said 199 ghost guns have been recovered this year, compared with just 10 such weapons in 2020.
Officials also warned that advances in 3D-printing technology are changing the illegal firearms market, allowing individuals to manufacture certain gun components outside traditional commercial channels. That development has made identifying and disrupting the supply of untraceable firearms an increasingly important part of New York’s gun-violence strategy.
Much of the enforcement effort is coordinated through the Gun Violence Strategies Partnership, an NYPD-led initiative involving more than 35 federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. The partnership brings agencies together to share intelligence and focus resources on individuals believed to be driving shootings and other serious gun violence across the five boroughs.
Officials highlighted recent investigations as examples of the strategy, including a firearms-trafficking case involving alleged members of the Bloods street gang in Far Rockaway, Queens. Authorities said the investigation involved the trafficking of 40 firearms and resulted in five arrests.
The seizure numbers come alongside a broader decline in violent crime. Through July, New York City recorded 381 shootings and 149 murders, figures described as historic lows for the period. Police officials have linked the decline to targeted enforcement, intelligence sharing and precision-policing initiatives aimed at neighborhoods and individuals associated with the highest levels of violence.
For city officials, the removal of thousands of firearms represents more than a numerical milestone. The strategy is designed to reduce the number of illegal weapons available to people most likely to use them while disrupting trafficking networks responsible for bringing guns into New York.
The growing number of ghost guns, however, remains a significant challenge. As privately manufactured and 3D-printed weapons become more accessible, authorities say cooperation between the NYPD and federal, state and local agencies will remain central to efforts to keep untraceable firearms off New York City’s streets.
