ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Albuquerque police took dozens of guns off our streets last month, 30 of them were used in local crimes. 

Of the 75 guns recovered last month, 28 were linked to other shootings. Nearly 60 people are now charged with gun crimes; 14 are felons and four were already out on conditions awaiting trial. 

Albuquerque Police Chief Harold Medina says officers used the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network, or “NIBIN,” to compare the guns to shell casings found at other scenes.

Until recently, there were only three NIBIN machines in our state: two of them in Albuquerque.

On Monday, we learned the federal government is helping put those machines in other cities across our state.

“I was able to work through the appropriations process to get funding this year for a little over $1,000,000 to put NIBIN machines in Farmington and Gallup and Las Cruces and Roswell. Rather than having law enforcement officers driving from the very ends of the state to Santa Fe and Albuquerque, where the only machines exist right now,” said New Mexico Sen. Martin Heinrich. 

Once the ATF helps set up those new machines, law enforcement statewide will be able to access them.