New York City Mayor Eric Adams challenged whether the profits of gun manufacturers are more important than the lives of children as he testified before Congress Wednesday on gun violence.
Speaking before the US House Oversight and Reform Committee, Adams insisted it was “time to decide if we are going to be a nation of laws, or a confederation of chaos” amid the recent spate of deadly mass shootings across the country, including the slaughter in Texas that left 19 children and two teachers dead.
“It is high noon in America. The clock is ticking, every day, every minute towards another hour of death,” Hizzoner testified.
“We are facing a crisis that is killing more Americans than war. A crisis that is now the number one cause of death for our young people. A crisis that is flooding our cities with illegal guns faster than we can take them off the street.”
Adams begged the feds for help to stem the surge of gun violence in the Big Apple — a relentless burden that’s dominated his time in office — saying the NYPD had removed 3,000 illegal guns from the streets this year alone, but “the guns just keep coming.”
“We need Congress to take the handcuffs off the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives and let them do their jobs. That means confirming President Biden’s nominee as soon as possible,” Adams said.
Mayor Eric Adams testified before the US House Oversight and Reform Committee on gun violence on June 8, 2022. Reuters“And we must work together to dam all the rivers that lead to this sea of violence,” he added. “Common-sense gun reform must become the law of the land.”
Asked why there was a need for federal gun control laws, Adams said the Big Apple had seen an increase in “ghost guns” – and that many firearms used in local crimes were stolen or had been brought into the city illegally.
“We need assistance with the partnership with the federal government to stop the flow of guns in our cities,” Adams said.
Rep. Jody Hice (R-GA) later quizzed the mayor on whether it was true the NYPD were seizing guns in “record numbers,” even though it’s illegal for many to carry them in NYC.
Adams called for “common-sense gun reform” during his testimony. Reuters“Yes – and many come from Georgia,” Adams replied.
Hizzoner agreed when Hice asked if New York was a “leading example of gun restrictions” in the US.
“And yet, we all know New York has continued in recent years to see a rise in crime. Yes or no?” Hice continued.
Adams conceded, “Yes.”
Asked about the prospect of arming teachers to protect students in the wake of the latest school shooting massacre in Uvalde, Texas, Adams was adamant that the measure wouldn’t be helpful in curbing such massacres.
“It’s harmful to the law enforcement community, it’s harmful to civilians and it’s harmful to our children,” he said.
Adams had earlier insisted in his opening remarks that the issue of gun violence should be a non-partisan issue.
“No matter what our party affiliation, we are united in our mission to stop crime, save lives, and bring an end to gun violence,” Adams said. “Because this isn’t about ‘blue’ versus ‘red.’ This is about right versus wrong.”
He added, “Whether it is on the street wearing a badge, or in these chambers taking a vote, we must stand for what is right.”
Adams spoke to reporters after his testimony, arguing “the extremes” of both the Democrat and Republican party are keeping the country from enacting meaningful gun legislation.
“There’s a part of me that states the lawmakers are just not hearing the American public,” he said.
“I think the American public has had enough. I think what happened in Buffalo, what happened in Florida, watching these children go through this, I believe there’s going to be a real movement of not only our young people but parents.”
The mayor’s testimony came a day after movie star Matthew McConaughey made an impassioned plea for compromise on new gun control measures from the White House briefing room podium.
Declaring that responsible gun owners like himself are “fed up with the Second Amendment being abused and hijacked by deranged individuals,” the Oscar-winning actor delivered emotional remarks that included personal tales of heartbreak about last month’s mass school shooting in his hometown of Uvalde, Texas.
“We need to restore our American values and we need responsible gun ownership,” he said defiantly during his 20-minute speech. “We need background checks, we need to raise the minimum age to purchase an AR-15 rifle to 21, we need a waiting period for those rifles, we need red flag laws and consequences for those who abuse them.”
