Council pol pushes bill to make details of gun seizures public
City Councilman Shaun Abreu plans to introduce a bill this week that would require the NYPD and the mayor’s office to publicly identify the locations and details of firearms seizures, including information on the dealers who sell guns and where they operate.
The goal, according to Abreu (D-Manhattan), is to use the data to craft more effective policy when it comes to combating gun violence and to “help law enforcement be better prepared.”
“We are in a very severe and dangerous gun violence crisis right now in
“It is important that our city has the information it needs to develop policies to address crime, especially when it comes to gun violence.”
Abreu, who represents the Upper West Side, West Harlem and Washington Heights, expects to introduce the bill Thursday at a meeting of the full City Council.
Under the bill, the NYPD and the Mayor’s Office to Prevent Gun Violence would work together to produce a report laying out details of gun seizures and provide policy recommendations with that data in mind.
They would also be required to include recommendations on how local and state governments can better coordinate in their efforts to curb the flow of illegal weapon sales.
The report would also be required to detail whether guns seized were used in connection to a crime, where the firearm was first sold and what entity manufactured it.
“This bill targets dealers who sell illegal weapons in our city and promotes cooperation between states to stop these guns at ports of entry,” Abreu noted.
The bill is expected to come at a time when Mayor Adams has intensified his push to address gun violence and the overproliferation of guns. Adams has credited himself and the NYPD for taking about 3,000 guns off the street this year and has blamed the court system and Washington lawmakers with not doing their part.
Adams’ spokesman Fabien Levy declined to comment on Abreu’s bill, but said the administration looks forward to reviewing it once it is formally introduced.