NCJ Number
74128
Date Published
1980
Length
81 pages
Annotation
This guide discusses the sources of various types of Illinois firearm data, the quality of these data, and their availability to users.
Abstract
One section deals with firearm owner data sources and explains Illinois firearm ownership laws. Businesses as well as individuals may own firearms, but owners must register with the Firearm Owners Identification Section of the Illinois Department of Law Enforcement. The section maintains information on owners but does not record the numbers or types of guns owned. Sources for owner data include surveys, and city registration files, such as those kept in Chicago and in Peoria. Survey results are presented in data tables. Another section focuses on data sources for the numbers and types of firearms in the State. Again, relevant surveys are identified. Mention is made of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms registry of gun dealers. Each dealer is required to keep records of gun purchases, but these records are kept at the dealers' places of business. Sources of dealer information are listed, and Chicago firearms registration data are included. A final section is concerned with cources for data on firearms and crime, which include police-level data and victim survey data. Appendixes contain the text of the Illinois Firearm Owners Identification Law, an example of a Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Transaction Record, the text of municipal codes regarding firearms and of the Chicago Firearm Registration Law. Sample forms and a bibliography of about 15 citations are included.