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This Pile of 2,000 Guns Will Be 'Stamped to Dust' by the NYPD

By Trevor Kapp | October 26, 2016 12:27pm
 Police plan destroy this pile of nearly 2,000 guns, including a WWI-era machine gun.
Police plan destroy this pile of nearly 2,000 guns, including a WWI-era machine gun.
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DNAinfo/Trevor Kapp

ONE POLICE PLAZA — A massive stockpile of nearly 2,500 guns seized by the NYPD in recent years will soon be destroyed to prevent them from getting back in the hands of the bad guys, authorities said.

A mound of 2,421 firearms — including a WWI-era machine gun seized in Queens — was on display at police headquarters Wednesday ahead of their destruction, officials said.

“We take them out of circulation forever,” NYPD Commissioner James O’Neill said. “These guns will never again be used to hurt somebody or to threaten the quality of life of the good people of this city.”

Of the weapons on display, 1,158 handguns were used to commit felonies, while 112 were used in misdemeanor crimes, NYPD Chief of Department Carlos Gomez said.

“Each firearm to me represents a potential victim of a shooting or a murder,” he said.

Guns seized by the NYPD used to be dumped in Long Island Sound decades ago, but they’re now taken to undisclosed locations and recycled.

“They get smelted down,” Gomez said. “The metal is recycled. And the long guns are basically stamped to almost dust, rendered unusuable.”

The NYPD’s method of dealing with seized firearms differs from that of other police departments across the country, which often re-sell seized guns to the public, O'Neill said.