The next is a transcript of an interview with New York Metropolis Mayor Eric Adams that aired Sunday, April 3, 2022, on "Face the Nation."
MARGARET BRENNAN: We flip now to the gorgeous improve in violent crime, and preventing that improve is likely one of the prime priorities for New York Metropolis's new mayor, Eric Adams. Good morning to you, Mr. Mayor. Good to have you ever in-studio.
MAYOR ERIC ADAMS: Thanks. Good to be right here.
MARGARET BRENNAN: New York Metropolis is- with the best variety of shootings in a decade, greater than 40% spike in homicides during the last two years. You've gotten among the hardest gun legal guidelines within the nation. The place are all these weapons coming from?
MAYOR ADAMS: That is an awesome query, and in my dialog with the president and the chief of employees yesterday, we talked about simply the move of weapons via our- our inside cities. Just a few days in the past, I used to be in Chicago with Mayor Lightfoot, who took a number of 1000's of weapons off the road final 12 months. And right here in New York, we're doing the identical. We actually must have a mixture. We've to cease the move of weapons. However we should additionally do the job of getting the weapons off the streets that is on there now. And my anti-gun unit, they're doing that. Just some weeks out, they eliminated over 20-something weapons off the road. However this is the attention-grabbing quantity: 70% of those that had been carrying the weapons had prior violent offenses. So we have to mix with that small variety of people who find themselves carrying weapons with the big variety of weapons on our road and get each off our road.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However, that acknowledging that and having among the hardest gun legal guidelines within the nation may have critics say, effectively, look, it makes no distinction you probably have tight gun legal guidelines.
MAYOR ADAMS: Properly, I inform these critics, go go to that 13-year-old boy that was shot yesterday whereas sitting behind the automotive. We have to cease criticizing good, correct legislation enforcement with the right proactive issues to maintain weapons out of the palms of younger individuals. And that is the mixture that we'll do.
MARGARET BRENNAN: So why aren't the legal guidelines working?
MAYOR ADAMS: For a variety of causes. We've a small variety of gun sellers which might be simply skating the legislation. We're coping with the issue with ghost weapons. It is- it is crucial that we provide you with clear messages round ghost weapons and the kits that assemble them. And I consider Washington goes to do this. Then we have to put cash into the ATF to allow them to do the right information-sharing, so we will establish the move of weapons within the inside cities. And that's what we're doing in New York with our mixed efforts of all legislation enforcement companies.
MARGARET BRENNAN: It sounds such as you're anticipating extra govt actions or orders from the president to do that as a result of none of it may get via Congress.
MAYOR ADAMS: Properly, it is a mixture. I believe govt orders are essential. However whereas we're ready for the president and the White Home to proceed to do the great issues they're doing, I've to do the issues we should do on the bottom in New York Metropolis, and that is what we're doing. My officers are stepping up with quality-of-life points and we're zeroing in on harmful gangs and zeroing in on those that are set off pullers and carrying weapons.
MAYOR ADAMS: I wish to ask you about that. You known as it high quality of life. It is quality-of-life enforcement. You your self have been fairly vital of previous mayors after they have used techniques generally known as, like, damaged home windows, proper, going after these type of smaller scale crimes. High quality of life contains offenses which might be precursors to violence: marijuana gross sales, public urination, issues like that. Aren't these the identical zero-tolerance insurance policies that previously have been exploited and prompted civil rights violations?
MAYOR ADAMS: Properly, I am glad that you simply identified the historical past, as a result of that is my historical past of preventing towards heavy handed and abusive policing. You possibly can have the justice that we deserve with the security we'd like. This is what we discuss once we say high quality of life: not permitting somebody to enter a retailer, steal what they need, after which stroll out, leaping the turnstiles, not paying your fare within the subway system. Lots of the legal components, they're truly going into the subway system with out paying the fare and committing crimes. We discovered that through the mid-nineties and early nineties, but additionally taking a look at simply open drug use, injecting your self with heroin in our parks in entrance of our kids, loud noise, simply being disorderly. A few of the issues we're doing round encampments. You do not have to make use of police to take away the encampments in our metropolis like we're doing. We're doing a mixture of social providers, giving individuals the dignity they deserve. That's what we're speaking about, cleansing our streets and ensuring that we do not have a state of dysfunction.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However all of what you are laying out, nobody's for these issues. However they're involved that that is simply dressing again up the damaged home windows concept, that you simply're doing the identical issues, however relabeling it.
MAYOR ADAMS: Properly, I believe that it is necessary for individuals to say, effectively, let us take a look at who's implementing the right use of coping with high quality of life. Eric Adams, I used to be a number one voice that testified in federal court docket in regards to the overuse of police techniques. Now I am in control of that police division, and I understand how we will run a police division with an awesome police commissioner, Commissioner Sewell, the place we're going to verify we do not have dysfunction in our metropolis, the place we're going to lawfully present those that this can be a metropolis the place the standard of life is- is necessary.
MARGARET BRENNAN: However you have got stated issues such as you will not tolerate bystanders being on prime of cops to movie their actions. Is not the general public reporting, eyewitness accounts like this, precisely what has stopped or a minimum of laid naked violations, such because the killing of George Floyd? Is not that type of public reporting necessary?
MAYOR ADAMS: Proper. And let me inform you what I've carried out all through the- my years. I've carried out one thing known as "What to do when stopped by the police," movie police, do it correctly. Nothing is extra harmful than if a police officer is preventing with somebody that has a gun and you've got an individual standing over him taping that interplay. That's extraordinarily harmful. That officer isn't conscious of who's behind him. Many days that I fought with the people who had been carrying weapons or knives, and I've had individuals stand over me with a digital camera. That's extraordinarily harmful as a result of you do not know what you have got. So what we're saying to New York is movie. Eric Garner case, the younger man filmed a secure distance away. He didn't interrupt or intrude. That's the way you movie. You do not do it that endangers your self or that police officer who's taking motion.
MARGARET BRENNAN: Mr. Mayor, thanks in your time right now.
MAYOR ADAMS: Thanks. Good seeing you.
MARGARET BRENNAN: We'll be proper again.