92% of All Handguns Recovered in NYC Are From Out-of-State

NEW YORK, NY — Ninety-two percent of all handguns recovered by law enforcement in New York City came from out-of-state, according to a new investigation by the state Attorney General released on Tuesday. New York City ranked poorly in most of the data released by the state, which encompassed 2010 to 2015.

The investigation by Eric Schneiderman found 49 percent of all guns seized in the state of New York came from the five boroughs, 86 percent of all guns seized in the city were handguns (10 percent higher than the state average), and 26 percent of all guns seized were "likely trafficked." A total of 25,799 guns were recovered by law enforcement officials in New York City over the six-year period.

The report points out that 87 percent of all guns and 92 percent of handguns come from out-of-state likely due to the city's tough permit laws.

"The data makes one thing abundantly clear: New York’s strong gun laws are being undermined at every turn by lax laws in other states," Schneiderman said in a statement. "Even as we work to make our streets safer, the illegal guns most often used in violent crimes continue to pour into our state."

The study found that the majority of out-of-state guns in New York City come from the south and midwest — Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Pennsylvania and Ohio, specifically. Virginia led all states with 19 percent of "likely trafficked" guns coming from the one state. Those seven states have some of the most lax gun laws in the country. Less than 1 percent of trafficked guns came from New Jersey, a tougher permit law by comparison, despite its proximity to the city.

New York City Council Member Jumaane Williams, who represents the Flatbush area of Brooklyn, pointed to the need for federal laws to be stricter in order to cut down on the flow of guns into the city.

"The need for stricter federal gun laws is evidenced by Attorney General Schneiderman's report. It fully explains away the unfounded equation that says since areas with high amounts of gun violence, often have tighter gun restrictions, then restrictions therefore have no meaning," Williams said in a statement. "Quite the contrary, as this report points out, what is needed is stricter federal guidelines, not weaker ones, and a focus on the gun trafficking that is made so much easier by inconsistent laws."

Schneiderman listed a handful of corrections which can be undertaken to reduce the impact of gun violence and illegal guns, including:

Federal changes

• Require universal background checks; Close the "gun show loophole"
• Make gun trafficking a federal crime

State changes

• Expand access to summary trace data
• Pass the Gun Kingpin Bill
• Share gun trace data and intelligence

Photo Credit: Ken via Flickr/Creative Commons