Summary
Little is known about criminal attitudes towards the market in and use of illegal firearms and the relationship, if any, between gun crime, illegal drug markets, gangs and a supposed ‘gun culture’. This limits the development of policy, policing practice and an understanding of the impact of firearms legislation. This research addresses these gaps by presenting evidence from qualitative in-depth interviews with 80 recently convicted and imprisoned male Firearms Act offenders aged 18 to 30 in England. The report also identifies potential interventions and deterrence strategies.