New York Mayor Eric Adams demanded that Washington stop the flow of firearms into the city in the aftermath of shootings that left one cop dead, and another fighting for their life. He demanded that the federal government step in.
Speaking on ABC’s ‘Good Morning America’, Adams outlined the situation saying, “The police department is doing their job taking thousands of guns off the streets, yet each time you take a gun off, there’s a constant flow of new guns coming here. And if we don’t coordinate to go after those gun dealers that are supplying large cities in America such as New York, we are losing the battle, and the federal government must step in and play a role in doing so”.
Also Read | Houston deputy fatally shot, police chief urges assailant to turn themself in
He deemed it ‘unacceptable’ that all efforts to take guns off the street were being foiled by an unsupervised influx of weapons into the five boroughs. Adams delivered an emotional speech after the shootings that took place Friday, saying that no guns were manufactured in the city itself.
Also Read | Virginia mom threatens to bring loaded gun to school, over mask mandate
The former New York Police Department (NYPD) captain noted “We don’t make guns here. How are we removing thousands of guns off the street and they still find a way into New York City? In the hands of people that are killers, constantly carving highways of death, destroying our communities. We need Washington to join us and act now to stop the flow of guns in New York City and cities like New York.”
Also Read | Much ado about fries: McDonald’s drive-thru worker shot by angry customer
Since Adams took office on January 1, five NYPD officers have been shot, including four in the last week itself. To combat the situation, and to reduce gun violence across the five boroughs, Adams is looking to form a plainclothes anti-gun unit.
He told ABC, “We’re going to roll out a smart way of policing, put in place again a modified version of a plainclothes anti-gun unit that’s going to go after those known shooters and people are actually creating the devastation in our city”.
Also Read | Oxford school shooting: School clarifies it didn’t know of Ethan Crumbley’s social media posts
Dubbed the Neighborhood Safety Teams, Adams is expected to make a formal announcement about their formation this week.