Video: NYPD Top Cop Calls Illegal Handguns Main Problem

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said he supports an assault weapons ban but told CBS News' Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation" that illegal handguns are much more widely used in violent crimes.

M News Nypd Kelly On Guns

VIDEO: NYPD Commish: Handguns Are Main Problem

NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said he supports an assault weapons ban but told CBS News' Bob Schieffer on "Face the Nation" that illegal handguns are much more widely used in violent crimes.

Commissioner Kelly opened the interview segment by stating that he supports Sen. Dianne Feinstein's assault weapons ban, proposed Thursday.

"It's certainly a move in the right direction," Kelly said. "I agree with it."

However, Commissioner Kelly said only 2% of those arrested in gun-related crimes in the past two years have possessed an assault rifle. Of the murders in New York City in 2012, 60% were caused by handguns, he added. There were 414 homicides, a record low for New York City.

Last week, Kelly announced that the department will soon deploy handgun scanners to further reduce the number of illegal handguns on city streets.

Kelly said he supported the universal background check to limit straw purchases and private sales at gun shows. Last year, there were 6 million guns sold without a background check, and about 90% of the guns used in New York City crimes came from outside the state, Kelly said.

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