Here is a statistics note from the BJS monthly recap. Where do criminals get the guns they possess during their crimes or actually use in their crimes? Last January, BJS issued a report of its survey of prison inmates in 2016. From Table 5 of the report:
43% Off the street/underground market
25% Obtained from individual
10% Purchased at retail
6% Theft
17% Other
A couple of cautions are in order. Prisoners who are caught and sentenced to prison are not necessarily representative of all perpetrators. Surveys of prisoners about their crimes must always be taken with a grain of salt for obvious reasons.
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