Governor Hochul Announces Major Progress in Bringing Down Gun Violence Throughout New York State

Shooting Incidents With Injury Decreased 37% Through the First Four Months of 2024 Compared to Five-Year Average

Gun Violence Declined Two Years in a Row, Reaching Historic Lows

New York State Police Continue To Seize Illegal Firearms at Record Pace

Governor Kathy Hochul announced significant, sustained progress in the fight against gun violence in New York State. Shooting incidents with injury and the number of shooting victims each decreased by more than 35 percent through April 2024, 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.”

This success follows the Governor’s $347 million investment in comprehensive efforts to reduce and prevent gun violence and her leadership to convene an Interstate Task Force on Illegal Guns, which has led to more than 3,302 illegal guns seized since the start of 2022 by the State Police alone. This record pace of illegal gun seizures eclipsed the total number of guns seized in the five preceding years (2017-2021).

The Governor’s Deputy Secretary for Public Safety Marcos Soler, Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) Executive Deputy Commissioner Joseph Popcun, and New York State Police Superintendent Steven James this afternoon outlined recent gun violence, crime, and gun seizure data and highlighted the administration’s comprehensive, multifaceted strategy to further drive down gun violence. The FY 2025 Enacted Budget sustains record-level public safety funding secured by Governor Hochul for local law enforcement agencies, community partners, the New York State Police, and other state agency partners, including:

• More than $36 million – the most ever invested – in the GIVE initiative to help law enforcement agencies adopt evidence-based crime reduction strategies, now expanded to 21 counties and 28 police departments, and an additional $35 million to implement law enforcement interventions to reduce domestic violence,
• $21 million for the SNUG Street Outreach program, deploying outreach workers, social workers, and case managers to disrupt the cycle of violence in 14 communities, and $5 million to support New York City’s Crisis Management System (CMS) sites and gun violence prevention efforts,
• $18 million for the state-supported network of 11 Crime Analysis Centers (CACs), providing dedicated intelligence and investigative assistance to more than 350 law enforcement agencies, and
• $20 million for Project RISE, supporting community-driven efforts to promote safety and wellbeing in seven cities through 99 non-profit organizations delivering more than 50 services from academic support and employment services to mental health resources and youth development.

Gun Violence

DCJS 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.

Shooting Incidents Involving Injury in GIVE Sites by Region	2021	2022	2023	23 vs. 21	Jan-Apr 5-Yr. Avg.	Jan-Apr 2024	2024 vs. 5-Yr. Avg.
Capital Region  (Albany, Troy, Schenectady)	107	123	98	-8%	23	18	-22%
Central New York  (Syracuse)	135	147	93	-31%	31	10	-68%
Finger Lakes  (Rochester)	350	303	247	-29%	60	49	-18%
Hudson Valley  (Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Mount Vernon, Yonkers, Kingston, Middletown, Spring Valley)	109	85	71	-35%	22	15	-32%
Long Island  (Hempstead, Nassau, Suffolk)	136	96	72	-47%	26	11	-58%
Mohawk Valley  (Utica)	32	30	29	-9%	9	6	-33%
Southern Tier  (Binghamton)	11	12	12	9%	3	2	-33%
Western New York  (Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Jamestown)	350	249	172	-51%	62	38	-39%

(Source: DCJS Annual GIVE Shooting Activity Report, February 2024 and Monthly GIVE Shooting Activity Report, May 2024.)

New York City also reported a decrease in gun violence through April 2024: a 19 percent reduction in shooting victims and a 16 percent reduction in shooting deaths compared to the same time in 2023.

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, 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 have seized 802 guns through April 2024, which is more than the total number of guns seized in the entire calendar years 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.

National Homicide Rate
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics publishes periodic mortality data, including deaths from homicide, for all states in the United States. The latest data shows that New York State maintains the lowest homicide rate (4.3 deaths per 100,000 people) among large states with a population of more than 10 million. This is also significantly lower (43 percent) than the national average of 7.6 homicide deaths per 100,000 people.

State	Homicide Death Rate Per 100,000 People
New York	4.3
California	5.7
Florida	7.2
Texas	7.3
United States (All States)	7.6
Michigan	8.1
Ohio	8.5
Pennsylvania	8.7
North Carolina	9.0
Illinois	10.8
Georgia	11.0

(Source: CDC National Vital Statistics System, Mortality Dashboard, January 2024.)

The Division of Criminal Justice Services provides critical support to all facets of the state's criminal justice system, including, but not limited to: training law enforcement and other criminal justice professionals; overseeing a law enforcement accreditation program; ensuring Breathalyzer and speed enforcement equipment used by local law enforcement operate correctly; managing criminal justice grant funding; analyzing statewide crime and program data; providing research support; overseeing county probation departments and alternatives to incarceration programs; and coordinating youth justice policy. Follow DCJS on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter).

Established in 1917, the New York State Police proudly serves, protects and defends the people of New York, while preserving the rights and dignity of all. The New York State Police works to ensure the safety of the state's roadways, prevent and investigate crime, prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters and provide support to other law enforcement agencies. Integrity, respect, customer service, and leadership are the State Police’s foundational values, ensuring the most professional law enforcement services throughout New York.