1. The Illegal Gun Market in Los Angeles: Within city changes over time Melissa Barragan, Kelsie Chesnut, Jason Gravel, Nicole Sherman, Natalie Pifer, La Keramet Reiter, & George Tita UC Irvine: Criminology, Law and Society

2. Overview How is the illegal gun market in LA today different from early 2000s (Ridgeway, Pierce, Braga, Tita, Wintemute, & Roberts 2004)

3. LA’s Illegal Firearm Market in early 2000s Analysis of ATF/DROS Data Diffuse sources Lack of rogue FFLs No large cache of weapons traced by to singular individual Market is (very) local No “iron pipeline” Possessor lives close to purchaser(s) Not only intra-state, intra- county Our Conclusions: Continue “regular” enforcement Consistent w “straw purchases”  letter writing campaign

4. LA’s Current Illegal Firearm Market Jail Surveys Diffuse sources Gangs/Drug dealers as point sources? Not a lot of evidence of “straw purchases” “Thick” market Passive transactions Our Conclusions: Continue “regular” enforcement Change Behavior Safe storage Reduce opportunity/demand for passive transactions

5. Methods & Data Collection Site: LA County Jail System (3 facilities) January thru October 2014 Inmates detained on gun-related charges Semi-structured, in-person interviews (45-120 minutes)

6. Sampling Criteria Felon with FA PC 29800(A)(1); PC 12021; PC 12021(A)1; PC 12021(C )1; PC 12021(E) 96.51% Concealed Carry FA (vehicle or person) PC 12025(A)1; PC 12025(A)2 41.0% Prohibited possessor with ammo ( PC 30305(A)1) 14.8% Assault with FA (PC 245(A)(2)) 14.5% Assault with semi-automatic FA (PC 245(B)) 2.8% Carrying loaded FA (PC 12031(A)1) 2.6% Carrying FA (PC 12020(A)) 2.3% Possession short-barreled rifle/shotgun (PC 33215) 1.2% Armed during Felony (PC 12022.2) 0.1% Prohibited transaction (PC 12072(D)) 0.1%

7. Data Collection 1,549 eligible inmates over study, excluding anyone flagged for mental illness Random sample from eligible pool n=140 completed interviews

8. Possession, Selling and Victimization Possession: Only 63% (88/140) of all respondents admit possession Just over 80% (53/66) of gang members admit possession Sold a Firearm: Less than 14% (19/140) of all respondents have ever sold a gun Almost 20% (15/66) of gang members sold a gun Shot at/Victim of gun violence: Almost 40% (55/140) of sample Almost 55% (36/66) of gang members

9. Sources of Guns TypeIllegal Purchase /Trade GiftFoundLegal Purchase TOTAL Long guns573217 Handguns (pistol/revolver) 44103158 TOTAL49 (65.33%) 17 (22.67%) 6 (8.0%) 3 (4.0%) 75 Notes: Only 75 respondents shared source information If a gun was purchased “illegally”, then it was most likely to be a handgun.

10. Unpacking Illegal Transactions The importance of knowing someone, being “from there” The role of gangs is not clear Brokers who bring guns into community Organize burglaries (home and auto) around guns (LAPD) The direct/indirect impacts of drug markets Barter directly for drugs (LAPD) Steal, sell to support habit The Police San Diego/Mexico Straw Purchases

11. Passive Transactions More than 1/3 of our respondents basically said they didn’t find the gun, the gun found them “They get them like on the streets. It's pretty easy. You might meet a guy, you might get a phone call to say, ‘Hey, I got this for sale, I know someone who got this for sale. They want such and such, couple hundred.’ And, ‘Shoot, I'm on my way. Tell him to meet me over here.’ It's pretty easy. It's like selling a CD. They're pretty common on the streets. ” -( Respondent 56 )

12. Coerced Transaction: “Somebody asked me do I want to buy it, I told them no, then they said, ‘what do you do? Do you gangbang?’ I said no, they said, ‘so you walk around here?’ I'm like yeah, they like, ‘so you walk around here, you don’t gangbang?’ I'm like no. He was like, ‘so what do you do for a living? I'm like ‘well, I do rap. I be in the studios and stuff,’ and he's like, ‘so you're a rapper and you be having jewelry and everything, you don’t have no gun to protect yourself?’ Pretty much persuaded me, so I bought it, but then I end up going to jail for it.” -(Respondent 99)

13. More Similar Than Different CHICAGO Sources: Gangs, Drug Market, Theft, Police, Rouge FFLs No local access to legal market Trust v Cash (fear of buy- bust) LOS ANGELES Sources: Gangs, Drug Market, Police, Theft No need for access to legal market (LAPD) Trust v Cash (LAPD doesn’t think buy-bust is worth the effort)

14. Policy Implications Highly regulated legal market, maintain status quo re: enforcement No easy target such as “iron pipeline” “Every household in LA has a gun and every burglar knows that gun is kept in a night stand next to the bed” – if the data supports, re-emphasize “safe storage” and the reporting of “stolen guns” Can’t “gift” without DROS

15. The Illegal Gun Market in Los Angeles: How Detainees Understand the Law Melissa Barragan, Kelsie Chesnut, Jason Gravel, Nicole Sherman, Natalie Pifer, La Keramet Reiter, & George Tita UC Irvine: Criminology, Law and Society

16. Overview In a jurisdiction with some of the most restrictive regulations in the nation, are gun offenders deterred by the law?

17. Overview

18. What Gun Offenders Know Jail Surveys 87% (98/113) of respondents discussing criminal consequences say they will go to jail if caught by police with a gun. 81% (97/120) of respondents discussing California gun know that a criminal record restricts possession. Significantly less knowledge of details: permits, parole/probation restrictions, ID, background check requirements. Our Conclusions: Detainees know they cannot possess or carry guns and think they are likely to get caught – and punished – if they break this law. But they break the law anyway – over concerns for their personal safety.

19. What Ammo Offenders Know Jail Surveys Big Five & Walmart are good sources for ammo (referenced by 39% and 18% of respondents, respectively). “You can go buy bullets from Wal-Mart. Or what’s it called, Big Five, or whatever. [You can] buy bullets anywhere” Among 79 respondents discussing ammo law, only 9 regulations were even mentioned, and those by only a few respondents. Our Conclusions: Perception that ammunition was widely, legally available. Knowledge of regulations was inconsistent and contradictory.

20. Policy Implications Harsher penalties for gun possession and use might not deter, since offenders know the consequences, think they are certain, and carry anyway. “Retailing the message” about ammunition laws could be important to change behavior, since potential offenders know less about these laws.