Youth Access to Stolen Handguns

Abstract

Youth with access to illicit handguns have an enhanced proclivity to engage in armed criminal violence and self-harm. While theft has been identified as a pathway for youth to gain access to handguns, little is known about whether and to what extent stolen guns represent a viable channel toward putting youth and others at risk. To evaluate this, several data sources and methods are used to evaluate whether handgun thefts occurring within proximity to a school predict self-reported ease of handgun acquisition among young people. Multilevel results fail to show any relationship between the availability of stolen handguns, measured in three different ways, and middle and high school youths’ self-reported access to handguns. Microlevel characteristics are predictive of gun access among youth.