Shock: Majority of Guns Used in Crimes Obtained Illegally

By Jenn Jacques

Shannon Watts is clutching her pearls. The University of Chicago Preventative Medicine performed a gun study by surveying 99 Cook County Illinois inmates and the results are staggering.

According to their findings, the majority of guns used by criminals are obtained illegally.

I know, we’re all shocked.

The best part of the survey is in it’s conclusion, stating: “it is rare for offenders to buy from licensed dealers, and also rare for them to steal their guns. Rather, the predominant sources of guns to offenders are family, acquaintances, fellow gang members which is to say, members of their social network (Papachristos and Wildeman, 2013). The CCJ survey makes it clear that where offenders’ immediate connections are not able to provide them with a gun, they often turn to sources by which they are linked through a mutual acquaintance. A strong motivator for this degree of caution in Chicago is a concern, especially on the part of the sellers, that the other party to the transaction will report it to the police or that they are the police, working undercover.”

Well what do you know, it’s almost like a large group of people have been saying this all along. …read more

Source:: Bearing Arms