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A crime script model of Dark web Firearms Purchasing

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Abstract

Despite recent growths in research exploring the nature and scope of the online illicit marketplace, there has been a dearth of criminological inquiry examining both the chronological and functional steps offenders use to exchange illegal firearms online. As a result, it is unclear what role and function active market participants have within the online illicit firearms market, including the process of advertising, purchasing, and delivering these weapons. The current study sought to address this gap in the literature through a crime script analysis of 19 vendors advertising weapons on the Dark Web. The step-by-step processes involved in the advertising, actualization, and acquisition of illicit firearms were examined in detail.

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Notes

  1. The appearance of a manufacturer within the data is intended to reflect any model of weapon they produce.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Department of Homeland Security [17STCIN00001-02-00]. The opinions and findings expressed are those of the researchers and not of the funding agency, its employees, or staff.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University, 655 Auditorium Road, 434 Baker Hall, 48824, East Lansing, MI, United States of America

    Thomas J. Holt

  2. Department of Criminology, Law & Society, George Mason University Fairfax, 303 Enterprise Hall 4400 University Drive, MS 4F4 22030, Fairfax, VA, United States of America

    Jin Ree Lee

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  1. Thomas J. Holt
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Correspondence to Thomas J. Holt.

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Holt, T.J., Lee, J.R. A crime script model of Dark web Firearms Purchasing. Am J Crim Just 48, 509–529 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-022-09675-8

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