Newark Police Seize 90 Illegal Guns In 6 Weeks

NEWARK, NJ — Newark’s residents deserve a place to raise their families in peace and safety. And taking 90 illegal guns off the street in a month and a half will help, city officials say.

On Tuesday, Newark public safety officials announced that local police have recovered 90 illegal guns since Sept. 1, a rate of nearly 15 a week.

The recent uptick in firearm seizures mirrors a yearly surge, with more than 363 illegal guns recovered so far this year. Out of those, 243 resulted in arrests, the Newark Public Safety Department stated.

While there has been a recent wave of gun violence in Newark, overall crime in the city is down 8 percent, and homicides remain at the lowest rate in 60 years, officials said.

• See related article: Crime Is Dropping Big Time In Newark, Officials Say

“The recent uptick in violence in Newark is the result of an influx of illegal handguns,” Mayor Ras Baraka said. “But those individuals committing senseless violence in our community are hereby put on notice that we are putting our best investigative talent to work in reducing this trend.”

“Our residents deserve to live and raise their families in peace and safety,” Baraka added. “Our city will not be ravaged by individuals bent on the destruction of life and property.”

Public Safety Director Anthony Ambrose thanked local officers for their “tireless and relentless” work towards the city’s residents safe.

“We have some of the toughest gun laws in the nation, but illegal guns continue to plague some New Jersey communities,” Ambrose said.

According to Ambrose, of the 90 illegal handguns recovered since the beginning of September, 17 were used in other shootings and homicides and 65 have resulted in arrests.

“That’s almost 15 guns a week that have been removed from our streets in the past two months without any deadly use of force,” he said.

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