A new report issued by the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Statistics that examines where criminals get their guns offers a disturbing statistic: Data showed that a whopping 43% of the prisoners surveyed had obtained it off the street or from the underground market, while 7% had found it at the scene of the crime and 6% had stolen it. Additionally, 25% had obtained it from a family member or friend, or as a gift. The survey added, “Among prisoners who possessed a firearm during the offense for which they were imprisoned, 7% of state and 10% of federal prisoners serving a sentence in 2016 bought or traded for the firearm from a gun shop or gun store.”
Only 7% of state and 8% of federal prisoners who had a firearm during their crime bought their firearm under their own name from a licensed firearm dealer at a retail source; out of that number, the majority claimed there had been a background check.
The survey noted, “Among prisoners who possessed a gun during their offense, 90% did not obtain it from a retail source.” Only a miniscule 1.3% of prisoners obtained a gun from a retail source and used it during their offense.
The survey found that roughly 20% of state and federal prisoners who had a firearm during their offense had gotten it with the intent to use it during the crime. The survey stated, “Among state prisoners who possessed a gun during their offense, 27% killed someone with it.”- READ MORE