Violent crime rose dramatically in 2020 and into 2021.

How will you decide when to prosecute people who carry loaded guns?

Other than illegal possession of firearms, what specific strategies would you employ to reduce crime if you’re elected?

Tali Farhadian Weinstein

COVID-19 has caused immense trauma and dislocation, and I see the DA’s role as critical to Manhattan’s recovery from this challenging period. The DA must ensure that we emerge with a city where everyone feels safe and secure – in the street, at home, when reporting crime, when meeting the police. To do this, DAs must support community groups who are working to curb violence – both inside and outside the home – that is increasing as a result of economic insecurity and trauma resulting from the pandemic. We must also prioritize investigating and prosecuting crimes exacerbated or made harder to see because of the pandemic, like abuse of children.

The rise in gun violence is extremely troubling and tackling it will be one of my top priorities upon taking office. To fight the alarming rise in gun violence in Manhattan, New Yorkers need a DA who can stem the flow of guns into our city. Because 80% of guns recovered by New York law enforcement come from out of state, I will use my experience as a federal prosecutor to coordinate with federal agencies such as the FBI and ATF to build trafficking cases and prevent guns from coming in through areas such as the Port Authority. In addition, I will vastly expand the investigative capacity of DANY’s Violent Criminal Enterprise Unit, and will create Gun Courts to increase the speed of prosecution, because speed of prosecution is a well proven deterrent.

Alvin Bragg

I have published a comprehensive plan to address gun safety. This evidence-based plan is driven by the fact that gun violence is caused by a very small number of people, and studies have shown that strong and swift enforcement targeted at these communities works. However, study after study has also shown that blunt, broad increases in enforcement have little to no effect on reducing crime. At the Attorney General’s Office, I oversaw one of those studies. In fact, there is ample evidence that simply increasing arrest numbers and enforcement actions actually creates distrust and division, ultimately leading to more harm. Communities that feel they cannot trust law enforcement are less likely to report crimes and help police. This is why my plan centers on narrow, targeted enforcement. These same principles are those I would employ to addressing all crime in Manhattan, pursuing narrow solutions targeted at what really keeps Manhattan safe, and resisting reactionary, regressive, and overly broad “tough on crime” strategies.

Liz Crotty

People who are found in possession of firearms without a permit will, as a matter of general practice, be prosecuted, but the facts of every case will be examined for potential mitigation. Also, as far as employing strategies to reduce crime, I will make sure we are working with the police and providing education and support in affected communities. I will support programs such as Friday Night Lights and other programs run by the Police Athletic League. I will also devote resources to gun buybacks, for which there is a strong consensus that they do assist to reduce crime.

Diana Florence

New York has some of the strongest gun laws in the country and most illegal guns are being shipped in from Southern states with lax laws. In order to stop guns flowing through our community, and protect our children, we must work together. I will propose an interstate compact between DAs up and down the iron pipeline (aka I95). Together, we will coordinate and conduct multi-state investigations into gun trafficking. I will partner with the NYPD and community based organizations and proactively target sources of gun violence and work collaboratively to stop it. I will support CURE violence programs through local organizations who know the neighborhood and people and identify the sources of vulnerability, especially in kids.

Lucy Lang

I intend to prosecute cases of people carrying loaded guns. Doing so requires a court that has specialized expertise in these types of cases. That is why I will seek to create a specialized Gun Court to handle all cases of gun crime and possession. Concentrating these cases in the hands of informed judges will not only fast-track their processing, but also ensure dignity for all who touch the system with outcomes that address the unique features of the person charged and the crime itself. This court will harness all its resources to identify what led a person to possess a gun and try to provide community-based services to tailor intervention and prevent future crime.

To prevent gun crime, I will ensure adequate funding for local, grassroots anti-violence organizations: we cannot ask communities to heal themselves without giving them the tools to do so. And as a city that spends nearly $15 billion a year on traditional law enforcement, we have an obligation to adequately fund community programs that help reduce violence.

I will also support community-based intervention programs. Many communities already have programs in place that use their own members to de-escalate and prevent violent crime. I am committed to working with community leaders to support those initiatives, including: community-based interventions, hospital-based interventions, and group violence interventions.

Dan Quart

We cannot keep Manhattan safe without addressing the recent rise of gun violence in our city. Under my leadership, the Manhattan District Attorney’s office will prosecute gun violence with vigor. I will also invest in wraparound services, partner with community organizations, and deliver justice and resources to victims of gun violence.

Additionally, I know that charges and prosecutions do not address the underlying causes of the ongoing rise in gun violence. To address the root causes of this violence, I’ll support public health solutions, including heavy investments in community-based violence prevention programs that have been proven to work.