NYC Mayor Eric Adams calls on press to hold gun industry accountable

New York City Mayor Eric Adams called on the media to apply more scrutiny to the firearm industry during an appearance Tuesday at the National Press Club.

“On behalf of every mayor, every victim of gun violence, and every American, I'm asking for your help to expose the gun industry in this country for what it truly is: a betrayal of American values and American freedom,” he said at a Club Newsmakers event. “Every story you cover about gun violence can help us move closer to accountability for those who profit from it.”

Noting that he himself is a legal gun owner, Adams emphasized that the root cause of gun violence can’t be put on the average sportsman or collector. Instead, he cast it as a public health crisis fueled by a $9 billion industry, drawing comparisons to similar hazards posed by tobacco and opioid manufacturers.

“Just as the families were exposed who were behind the opioid epidemic, we need the media to define who's responsible for the crisis of gun violence,” Adams said, referencing the Sackler Family-owned Purdue Pharma, which paid a massive $6 billion settlement earlier this year for their role in manufacturing addictive opioids.

To this end, Adams offered reporters a suggested road map for covering violence, one that he said will paint a clearer picture of the gun industry’s influence: name the gun, follow the money, and debunk the myths.

“Every CEO, every board member, every significant investor should have their name associated with the story of gun violence in America,” Adams said. “It is a travesty that we know the places where our citizens and children were murdered, but not the names of the CEOs who approved the marketing of the weapons that were used to kill them.”

While Adams has made combating gun violence the centerpiece of his agenda since assuming office this January, the city’s overall crime rate has risen since 2021. In August, City Hall reported that shootings had dropped by 30% from the previous year, but that overall crime had climbed by 26%.

Addressing the broader trends in the city, National Press Club President Jen Judson asked Adams how New York City Police can balance tackling “quality of life” crimes while avoiding mass-incarceration for people of color.

Adams largely demurred, stating that “quality of life is not a trade off.”

“Once you start dismantling basic respect that we owe each other as neighbors, it continues to escalate,” he said. “This is a country and New York is a city of law and order, not unlawfulness and disorder.”