New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New York City Police Department (NYPD) Commissioner Jessica S. Tisch on Thursday celebrated the destruction of 3,375 seized illegal handguns and 200 rifles.

The firearms were only a small portion of the more than 21,400 seized firearms seized since Adams took over the administration.

The weapons were loaded onto a conveyor belt and fed to a gun chipper to be turned into scrap metal and recycled.

"Today, we say goodbye and good riddance to thousands of illegal guns that no longer threaten the safety of our neighborhoods, our families, or our children by sending over 3,500 illegal guns off to their final destination: into a gun chipper to be turned into scrap metal and eventually recycled," Adams said at a press conference. 

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"These guns will never be used again to endanger another child, terrify another New Yorker, or destroy another life. Although today's destruction has dammed up one more river that leads to the sea of violence, we know that there is always more work to be done. We will keep pressing for more — more officers, more safety, more results. And because of our continued mission to eradicate gun violence, New York City continues to be the safest big city in America."

As the guns were put through the shredder, Adams asked the families of those affected by gun violence to call out their slain relatives’ names.

"I want to thank them for taking on this important project," NYPD Commissioner Jessica Tisch said. "These guns have no place in our neighborhoods. They stoked fear, inflicted pain, and destroyed lives. And they belong right here, in the tear box of an industrial metal shredder."

The recycled firearm material is being donated to the School of Cooperative Technical Education (Coop Tech) where students will weld the metal into a memorial to honor victims and their families who have been affected by gun violence.

An official statement from Mayor Adams said that out of the more than 21,400 guns seized since the beginning of his administration, over 1,400 of them have been identified as ghost guns.

These are unserialized and untraceable firearms that are through 3-D printers.  These types of firearms often end up in the hands of criminals, as well as underage purchasers, according to the statement. 

Since 2018, the NYPD has recovered nearly 2,000 ghost guns. 

In Adams' first month in office, he released the "Blueprint to End Gun Violence," which laid out his priorities to immediately address the crisis of guns on New York City streets. 

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In March 2022, the NYPD launched its Neighborhood Safety Teams to focus on gun violence prevention in areas that account for a disproportionate number of citywide shootings.

"From day one, this administration has mounted an all out effort to reduce gun violence," Adams said. "From our gun violence prevention task force to our neighborhood safety teams, I’ve testified before Congress about gun violence, urged the Supreme Court to uphold gun safety laws, worked with leaders and mayors across the nation, and sued the makers and marketers of ghost guns."

The Trump administration is applauding a major move by a key South American ally in the global fight against terrorism.

On Thursday, the U.S. State Department issued a statement congratulating Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña for officially labeling Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terrorist organization – a decision the U.S. calls a critical blow to Iran’s terror network in the Western Hemisphere.

"The United States welcomes President Santiago Peña’s designation of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organization," said State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce.

In addition to the IRGC designation, Paraguay also expanded its 2019 designations of the armed wings of Hezbollah and Hamas to include the entirety of both organizations. The Trump administration hailed it as a firm stand against Iranian-backed extremism.

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"Iran remains the leading state sponsor of terrorism in the world and has financed and directed numerous terrorist attacks and activities globally, through its IRGC-Qods Force and proxies such as Hezbollah and Hamas," Bruce said.

The decision is particularly significant in the Tri-Border Area, the region where Paraguay borders Argentina and Brazil, which has long been considered a financial hub for Hezbollah-linked operatives. The State Department said Paraguay’s action will help cut off the Iranian regime’s ability to fund terrorism and operate in Latin America.

"The important steps Paraguay has taken will help cut off the ability of the Iranian regime and its proxies to plot terrorist attacks and raise money for its malignant and destabilizing activity," Bruce added, highlighting the Tri-Border Area as a critical front in this effort.

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The Trump administration said it plans to build on this momentum and continue working with allies to confront Iran’s global influence.

"The United States will continue to work with partners such as Paraguay to confront global security threats," Bruce said. "We call on all countries to hold the Iranian regime accountable and prevent its operatives, recruiters, financiers, and proxies from operating in their territories."

This isn’t a one-off. Since his first term, Trump has made confronting Iran’s terror apparatus a cornerstone of his foreign policy. 

In 2018, he pulled the U.S. out of the Obama-era nuclear deal with Iran, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), calling it "one of the worst and most one-sided transactions the United States has ever entered into."

Now, the Trump administration is back at the negotiating table, but on its own terms. Two rounds of nuclear talks have already taken place this month, with a third scheduled for later this week. A senior administration official said the discussions have made "very good progress," though the details remain closely guarded.

As Bruce emphasized, Washington is calling on "all countries" to follow suit in holding "the Iranian regime accountable."

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The United States does not currently have a permanent Ambassador to Paraguay. Instead, Amir Masliyah holds the position of Chargé D’Affaires.

Fox News' Caitlin McFall contributed to this report.