Abstract
Surveys of criminals indicate that "street or illegal sources," family, and friends are the most common proximate sources for criminals to obtain guns (Webster et al., in this volume; Harlow 2004). However, there are little data on how guns are initially diverted into the illegal market and into the hands of direct suppliers for criminals. Data from gun trafficking investigations indicate that licensed gun dealers play an important role in the diversion of guns from the legal to the illegal market. Gun dealers facilitate blatantly illegal sales by straw purchasers (individuals who buy guns on behalf of prohibited purchasers), or sell guns to traffickers or directly to criminals (Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms 2000). Phone surveys of licensed gun dealers, in which callers asked whether the dealer would sell them a handgun intended for their boyfriend, found between 20% and 50% were willing to make what would have been an illegal sale (Sorenson & Vittes 2003; Wintemute 2010).
| Original language | English (US) |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | Reducing Gun Violence in America |
| Publisher | The Johns Hopkins University Press |
| Pages | 123-131 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Volume | 9781421411118 |
| ISBN (Electronic) | 9781421411118 |
| ISBN (Print) | 1421411105, 9781421411101 |
| State | Published - 2013 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- General Social Sciences