title: Not an 'iron pipeline', but many capillaries: regulating passive transactions in Los Angeles' secondary, illegal gun market.
abstract: California has strict firearm-related laws and is exceptional in its regulation of firearms retailers. Though evidence suggests that these laws can reduce illegal access to guns, high levels of gun violence persist in Los Angeles (LA), California. This research seeks to describe the sources of guns accessed by active offenders in LA, California and reports offenders' motivations for obtaining guns.
  
  
  
  Los Angeles County Jail (LACJ) system (four facilities).
  
  
  
  Random sampling from a screened pool of eligible participants was used to conduct qualitative semistructured interviews with 140 incarcerated gun offenders in one of four (LACJ) facilities. Researchers collected data on firearm acquisition, experiences related to gun violence, and other topics, using a validated survey instrument. Grounded theory guided the collection and analysis of data.
  
  
  
  Respondents reported possession of 77 specific guns (79.2% handguns) collectively. Social networks facilitate access to illegal guns; the majority of interviewees acquired their illegal guns through a social connection (85.7%) versus an outside broker/unregulated retailer (8.5%). Most guns were obtained through illegal purchase (n=51) or gift (n=15). A quarter of gun purchasers report engaging in apassivetransaction, or one initiated by another party. Passive gun buyers were motivated by concerns for personal safety and/or economic opportunity.
  
  
  
  In LA's illegal gun market, where existing social relationships facilitate access to guns across a diffuse network, individuals, influenced by both fear and economic opportunity, have frequent opportunities to illegally possess firearms through passive transactions. Gun policies should better target and minimise these transactions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Kelsie Y
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-4378-5691
authors.initials: KY
authors.lastname: Chesnut
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Melissa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Barragan
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gravel
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Natalie A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Pifer
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Keramet
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Reiter
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sherman
authors.affiliation: Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, California, USA.
authors.forename: George E
authors.initials: GE
authors.lastname: Tita
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003132:Commerce / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003415:Crime / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D057237:Criminals / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005389:Firearms / Q000191:economics* / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D015141:Los Angeles / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010067:Ownership / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D011330:Prisons; D036301:Qualitative Research; D012944:Social Support; D014505:Urban Population; D014754:Violence; D014948:Wounds, Gunshot / Q000517:prevention & control; D055815:Young Adult