Governor Kathy Hochul said there is significant, sustained progress in the fight against gun violence in the Empire State.
According to figures released by the Governor’s office, shooting incidents with injury and the number of shooting victims each decreased by more than 35 percent through April, compared to the January to April average over the last five years, in the major metropolitan areas outside of New York City. This reduction reflects 84 fewer shootings (143 vs. 227), 94 fewer victims (170 vs. 264), and 13 fewer lives lost to gun violence (29 vs. 42) as reported by law enforcement agencies participating in state’s Gun Involved Violence Elimination (GIVE) initiative. These positive trends show New York State’s return to historic lows in gun violence and follow two years of progress, including a 35 percent reduction in shootings (816 vs. 1,262), 36 percent reduction in victims (963 vs. 1,508), and a 37 percent reduction in deaths (142 vs. 225) from 2021 to 2023.
“We enacted the toughest gun safety measures in the country and now we are seeing results: historic lows in gun violence across New York,” Governor Hochul said. “Public safety is my number one priority, and I will continue fighting to create meaningful results and keep New Yorkers safe.”
Division of Criminal Justice Services manages the GIVE initiative, a key component of the state’s gun violence reduction strategy, which provides resources to police departments, district attorney’s offices, probation departments, and sheriff’s offices in 21 counties outside of New York City. These GIVE jurisdictions account for the vast majority (85 percent) of the violent crime that occurs in New York State outside of New York City. DCJS provides dedicated training and technical assistance, so agencies can address shootings and firearm-related violent crimes using state funds for personnel, overtime, technology, and equipment.
Within the regions, GIVE jurisdictions report decreases in total gun violence with Western New York and Long Island experiencing the most dramatic declines with 51 percent and 47 percent fewer shooting incidents, respectively, between 2021 and 2023. Central New York and Long Island have had the most accelerated decline in reported shootings through the first four months of this year with 68 percent and 58 percent fewer incidents, respectively, compared to the same time last year.
Reported Crime
Last year, murders outside of New York City plummeted 29 percent from 352 to 249 between 2022 and 2023. This not only tied 2019 for the lowest number of murders on record, but it reflected a 38 percent decline from the pandemic high of 2021 (249 vs. 399). Violent crime – murder, rape, robbery, and aggravated assault – dropped 4 percent (22,742 vs. 23,795) in the 57 counties outside of New York City last year compared to 2022. However, property crime increased 5 percent (170,100 vs. 162,140) beyond the boroughs due, primarily, to a 58 percent increase in motor vehicle thefts.
Earlier this year, NYPD reported murders had decreased by 11 percent from 2022 to 2023 (391 vs. 438). Total crime within New York City was reported to be relatively unchanged (0.2%) with five of the seven serious crime categories tracked by CompStat to have declined. Felony assaults and grand larceny of a motor vehicle increased by 7 percent and 15 percent, respectively.
Notably, the 640 total murders throughout New York State in 2023 represented one of the lowest recorded murder rates (3.3 per 100,000) on record since 1965. The 249 murders outside of New York City matched 2019 as the lowest recorded murder rate (2.2 per 100,000) since 1968.
Seizures of Illegal Guns and Extreme Risk Protection Orders
The New York State Police continue to convene the Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, sharing intelligence, tools, and tactics to stop illegal gun trafficking. Since its formation in January 2022 by Governor Hochul, New York State Police, New York City Police Department, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and law enforcement agencies from New York, Rhode Island, Connecticut, Vermont, Ohio, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New Hampshire, among other partners, continue to meet and share information to stop the flow of illegal guns across state lines and prevent further gun violence that is plaguing cities across the country.
From increased cooperation and communication from this local, state, and regional partnership, gun seizures have risen steeply across the state since the Governor took office. The number of crime guns seized by the State Police across New York State has nearly tripled in the past four years: 517 in 2020 as compared to 1,463 last year. In fact, the State Police seized 802 guns through April 2024, which is more than the total number of guns seized in the entire calendar year of 2018 (551), 2019 (528), and 2020 (517).
Following the Governor’s actions to strengthen the state’s Red Flag law, the State Police have increasingly used this life-saving law, which allows for the removal of guns from individuals deemed to be a danger to themselves or others. Last year, State Police filed 1,385 extreme risk orders of protection (ERPOs) that resulted in the removal of 2,549 guns. As of May 14, 2024, the State Police had filed an additional 673 ERPOs and removed another 1,226 guns
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