The Epidemiology of Crime Guns: From Legal Sale to Use in Crime

This supplemental continuation application is to be submitted by a current grantee, the International Association of Police Chiefs {IACP). They won the current award under the 2013 solicitation, Research on Firearms and Violence. IACP was one of four competitive grants awarded, proposing research on firearms and violence in two large U.S. cities. Given that they had secured agreements from one city at the time of the award, the NIJ Director decided to provide funds to the project in two phases with the second phase funded upon demonstrating progress in implementation at the first site (city), and securing agreements with the second site.
Although the project was originally proposed to be two years in duration. IACP made adjustments to the research calendar for the phase one award to last 15 months. They began work in March of 2014 when they received Human Subjects and Confidentiality clearance. The project research calendar will likely be
adjusted in phase two.
The purpose of this two phase research project is to trace guns used in crimes from first legal sale to criminal use in two large urban communities in the United States, both having substantial gun violence, high levels of clearance for gun crimes, and being situated in different gun control policy contexts. The first phase of the project will continue to be implemented in New Orleans, LA for the duration of the award period. The second phase will expand the research protocol to include a second city, Newark, NJ.
For the years, 2011 and 2012, gun crimes in which the weapons have been recovered will be traced from first legal sale to criminal use to develop a comprehensive and complete description of how the gun moved from the legal market to the illegal market and finally to be used in a crime. Incidents of gun recovery will also be compared to gun crimes during the same period where a gun was not recovered to assess differences and distinctions. Prisoners convicted of gun crimes during the same period will also be
interviewed and surveyed as to gun acquisition and use. The results will aid investigations of gun crime in two jurisdictions by providing a standard protocol for gun investigations by other police agencies in other communities.
The proposal for supplemental funding will provide for implementation of the research in a second site, Newark, NJ. Funding for the second phase will be contingent upon the grantee demonstrating significant
progress and administrative agreements for the addition of the second site. A total of approximately $250,000 for a yet to be determined award period that will not exceed three years will be provided to fund the second phase of IACP's research. nca/ncf