The Democratic (read: communist) frontrunner in New York City’s mayoral race, Zohran Mamdani, has made clear his intention to strip citizens of the right to armed self-defense—a position more radical than that of the Soviet Union.
While his proposals to abolish private property and his leniency toward criminal behavior are well known, one of the most chilling elements of his platform is captured in a simple declaration: “We need to ban all guns.”
Not only is this tragically misguided, but it also shows a staunch disrespect for the American way and carries historically ominous implications. The disarmament of civilians has constituted the first step in totalitarian communist regimes throughout history. Mao Zedong, Fidel Castro, and Kim Il-sung all banned firearms before consolidating authoritarian control and ushering in the deaths of millions. Adolf Hitler ruthlessly took advantage of an existing gun registry in the lead-up to the Nazi Party takeover of Germany.
“All political power comes from the barrel of a gun. The Communist Party must command all the guns; that way, no guns can ever be used to command the party,” said Mao Zedong.
Mamdani’s position as mayor obviously won’t allot the power necessary to start a revolution, but the 468 square miles of New York City will undoubtedly undergo a devastating crime wave if he strips New York City residents of their Second Amendment rights—and the data proves it.
Mamdani Doesn’t Follow the Data
Over the years, the left has convinced Americans that firearms, whether legally or illegally obtained, are the problem.
Not only is this a severe injustice to law-abiding citizens who pride themselves on taking a stand against criminal behavior, but it also contradicts FBI data that shows only a fraction of firearm violence is caused by legally owned firearms.
A 2019 study by the FBI showed that only seven percent of crimes committed with a firearm involved legally purchased guns. Half of all offenders had stolen the firearm, and 43 percent had purchased it from underground or black-market vendors.
By enforcing total gun control and disarming law-abiding citizens, Mamdani will create a “defensive disparity” in New York City—leaving the entire burden of societal safety to an already struggling police department.
Currently, and undoubtedly connected to the “defund the police” movement that has devastated communities since 2020, the New York Police Department (NYPD) is completely understaffed—but Mamdani would see the entire department defunded.
In 2024, 823 officers left the force—an 11 percent increase in departures over 2023. Additionally, the department now receives only 8,000 applicants a year—a 55 percent decline since 2017.
Crime continues to increase as the number of detectives decreases, resulting in the caseload per detective more than doubling, from 250 to 600, with the clearance rate dropping to 32 percent.
The staff shortage has resulted in 911 response times jumping from 10 minutes to over 15 minutes in 2024, the longest in decades. For critical crimes—such as shootings, robberies, and burglaries—the response time is one of the highest ever, at over nine minutes.
And that’s based on NYPD-provided data. Some Reddit users report waiting 90 to 120 minutes for an NYPD response after violent assaults.
New York City is undoubtedly at a tipping point, and Mamdani will be the straw that breaks the camel’s back.
The Perfect Storm
If Mamdani disarms the citizens of New York City, it is undeniable that crime will skyrocket.
It is already known that criminals will not follow the law and will continue to access firearms through underground channels—all while law-abiding citizens begrudgingly fall in line. This “defensive disparity,” paired with the numerous staffing issues faced by the NYPD, will create an environment where criminals are king.
Despite political claims of a crime “comeback,” violent crime in New York City remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels—driven by soft-on-crime policies, anti-police rhetoric, and progressive reforms that weakened public safety.
Murders rose from 319 in 2019 to 468 in 2020, while shootings nearly doubled from 777 to over 1,500. Murders and shootings, which slightly decreased after the pandemic, are still inflated at 18 percent and 16 percent over 2019 numbers. Felony assaults have also continued to increase following the pandemic and remain 40 percent above 2019 levels.
Vehicle grand larceny is at unprecedented levels, with a 152 percent increase over 2019, and repeat offenders are now responsible for a staggering 146 percent rise in assaults since 2018.
Mamdani’s beliefs aren’t just out of touch with American values; they are extremely dangerous for the safety and well-being of New York City residents. There is no place in an ordered society for policies that embolden criminals while leaving law-abiding citizens defenseless.
New York City is barely holding on as it is. If Mamdani is allowed to wreak havoc as the mayor, there will be blood in the streets.
Bronson Winslow is an investigative researcher for Restoration News covering gun control and crime policy.