Criminal Carrying: Predictors of Gun Possession during a Crime

• In Event: 033 - Section on Crime, Law, and Deviance Roundtable Session and Business Meeting
  In Refereed Roundtable 60min: Table 17. Children, Youth, and Violence 2

Abstract

The present study analyzes data from the Armed Criminals in America survey to examine the social and resource-based influences that impact the possession of a firearm during a crime amongst a group of incarcerated felons. After controlling for the appropriate demographic, background, and victimization factors, results indicate that exposure to firearms through childhood experiences decreases the likelihood of possessing of a gun when committing a crime. However, being mostly surrounded by friends that carry a firearm regularly prior to arrest significantly increased the likelihood of possessing a gun during a crime. Additionally, as the number of guns one owns increases, the likelihood of possessing a gun during a crime substantially increases in a predominantly linear fashion. A theoretical explanation drawing largely from Akers’ Social Learning Theory and rational choice theory is discussed as well as opportunities for future research on the impact of social factors on criminal firearm use.

Author

• Daniel Semenza, Emory University