President Joe Biden, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul gathered at NYPD headquarters Thursday to discuss gun violence in New York City. 

The president’s visit comes after a disturbing wave of shootings. Adams has asked the federal government for help to get illegal guns off our streets. 

During Thursday’s meeting, the president appeared to be on the same page with the city’s leader. 

"Mayor Adams, you and I agree, the answer is not to abandon our streets. The answer is to come together, police and communities, building trust and making us all better,” said Biden. “The answer is not to defund the police. It's to give you the strength and funding to be partners when the community needs you."

The mayor says nearly 6,000 guns were confiscated last year and nearly 400 since he’s been in office for just over a month. 

He says the issue is that firearms keep flowing from gun dealers nationwide. As part of that discussion, they spoke about the Biden administration’s plan to combat gun crime, which includes more funding for officers on the beat and investments in violence prevention and intervention programs. 

They also discussed steps they can take against illegal gun traffickers. The group of leaders then went to a public school in Queens to speak with local activists on the ground who are doing the work to keep young people off of the streets.