>>36961
Okay. At least two pages discuss the source of guns. The "Availability of Guns" and "Crime and Guns". I see somewhat contradictory statements there.
On one side:
>Fact: Five out of six gun-possessing felons obtained handguns from the secondary market and by theft, and “[the] criminal handgun market is overwhelmingly dominated by informal transactions and theft as mechanisms of supply.”
>Fact: The majority of handguns in the possession of criminals are stolen, and not necessarily by the criminals in question. 7 In fact, over 100,000 firearms are stolen in burglaries every year, and most of them likely enter the criminal market (i.e., are sold or traded to criminals).
Against:
>Fact: One study 7of adult offenders living in Chicago or nearby determined that criminals obtain most of their guns through their social network and personal connections. Rarely is the proximate source either direct purchase from a gun store, or even theft. This agrees with other, broader studies of incarcerated felons.
>Fact: Other common arrangements include sharing guns and holding guns for others.
Although the first two doesn't say the criminals who end up using guns acquired through theft, but theft is a method to fill the criminal market. And the criminal market works on the basis of acquaintenance, so yeah, they obtain it through their social network. But into that network these guns enter in illegal ways.