BAKERSFIELD, Calif. — A new study from UC Davis Violence Prevention Program found that California handgun buyers with a prior DUI are at greater risk for violence.
Researchers at the college said they gathered data from the California Department of Justice Dealer's Record of Sale to identify 21 to 49 year olds who legally purchased a handgun in the state in 2001.
They found those with DUI convictions before buying a gun had nearly three times the risk of committing a future violent crime.
The findings stated that after studying 79,678 handgun purchasers in California, about 9% were later arrested for murder, rape, robbery or aggravated assault. That’s compared to only 2% of gun owners with no prior criminal history going on to commit a violent crime.
The study also stated that of the 79,678 people they studied, 91% were men, 68.9% were white individuals, and the average age was 34.
California is considering restricting firearms access to people with multiple DUI convictions. The legislature passed a similar bill in 2014 that the governor vetoed because he was concerned there wasn’t enough of a link between the two.
You can read more about the study here.
