Using open sources to explore illicit trafficking in firearms in Europe

• In Event: Advances in Data Collection

Abstract

There is a growing interest in the analysis of open sources as a complementary data-gathering approach on crimes lacking better data (e.g., organized crime, terrorism).
This study proposes a general methodology for analyzing open sources and its application to the illicit trafficking in firearms in Europe, where data is scarce and heterogeneous. In the context of Project FIRE (Fighting illicit firearms trafficking routes and actors at European level), the study analyzed open sources and extracted data on seizures, shootings, homicides and suicides by firearms from 2010 to 2015 in 28 European countries.
The paper discusses the method’s strengths and weaknesses and presents the main results.

Authors

• Marina Mancuso, Università Cattolica - Transcrime

• Serena Favarin, Università Cattolica - Transcrime