De Blasio credits less guns for more stabbings

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - New York mayor Bill de Blasio is trying to put a positive spin on a recent rash of stabbings and slashings across the city. He credits the NYPD taking guns off of the street.

"I'm not a criminologist but I can safely say that guns are being taken off the street in an unprecedented way. Some people, unfortunately, are turning to a different weapon," de Blasio says.

New Yorkers have been on edge because of a series of highly-reported attacks, including several seemingly random attacks on the subways. The city was averaging more than 10 stabbing attacks a day in the first six weeks of the year.

The mayor claims that since there are so many fewer guns on the street, officers can now focus on criminals using knives and razors.

He says catching people committing minor infractions, so-called "broken windows" policing, is the key to getting weapons off of the streets.