A Qualitative Exploration of Gun Use, Identity, and Legal Consciousness

• In Event: Multi-city, Multi-method Underground Gun Market Study: A Qualitative Understanding of Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston

Abstract

Gun violence continues to plague many communities in Los Angeles, despite the
declining rates of overall violence in the county. As part of a multi-method,
multi-city effort that examines how the illicit gun market functions,
semi-structured interviews were conducted in Los Angeles County jails with
individuals charged with gun-related offenses. In addition to the analysis of these
interviews to ascertain how people obtain firearms and ammunition, our team is also
interested in why people might own guns (beyond protection) and how the gun plays a
role in shaping identity. Furthermore, we are analyzing how outside sources, such as
the media and popular culture, shape conceptions of the "gun user", and how these
conceptions might facilitate gun use. Overall, we are assessing how these
thought-processes shape and affect legal consciousness, or how individuals charged
with gun-related offenses situate their gun-related behavior within or outside of
the law's framework. A better understanding of how gun owners and users perceive
themselves and others with respect to guns will help inform policy aimed at reducing
gun violence among at-risk populations.

Authors

• Laura Zlotowski, University of California, Irvine

• Nicole Sherman, University of California, Irvine

• Keramet Reiter, University of California, Irvine