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New York authorities constantly working to disrupt the "Iron Pipeline," guns trafficked from other states

A look at New York gun statistics
A look at New York gun statistics 01:11

NEW YORK -- There is a big reason why local leaders are so concerned about the Supreme Court ruling on New York's century-old gun-carry law.

According to the NYPD, there were 1,531 shooting incidents in 2020. That's a shocking 97 percent increase from 2019.

As a result, authorities have been working on disrupting gun-trafficking schemes.

The bad guys buy firearms, mostly handguns, from states south of New York along the I-95 corridor. They then transport the weapons to New York markets.

The states we're talking about are Pennsylvania, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. They are supplier states, and the steady stream of weapons along I-95 has led to the nickname the "Iron Pipeline."

Watch our full special "Gun Violence: The Search for Solutions"

Gun Violence: The Search for Solutions 28:45

The New York State Attorney General's Office keeps a close eye on where those likely-trafficked guns in the city come from.

According to a recent report, Virginia supplied 19 percent of New York City's likely-trafficked guns. Pennsylvania, South Carolina and Georgia were next on the list with 13 percent.

Those states were followed by North Carolina and Florida.

As for New York, zero percent of likely-trafficked guns in the city actually came from the state.

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