The relationship between drug trafficking, street gangs and guns has been the subject of broad research because of their impact on the well being of the global society. Previously, the relationship between these three elements has been poorly established, but an extensive research by the University of California revealed that close and direct influence of each with the other. While some youth gang researchers pointed out that typical street gangs are not adequately equipped to organize drug trafficking operations due to lack of cohesion, there are gangs that have an established leadership and organizational structure that allows them “to organize and manage drug trafficking operations” (Howell, 9).
Research revealed that street gangs in the United States have a tremendous impact on the increase of street gangs in other countries. For example, it was reported that Canadian gangs imitated the dress, colors and rituals of American gangs (Covey, 106). Street gangs also increased in Asian and European countries, making it a common problem in many societies.
A large part of the problem is the use of drugs and guns among street gangs. As a means to advance their drug trafficking goals, street gangs have to equip themselves with weapons such as guns; thus there is an inevitable link between drugs, guns and gangs. The illegal trade of drugs leads to the proliferation of illegal trade and use of guns. The process has a detrimental impact to the society, for example, it was found that small arms has helped in fueling 46 of the 49 largest armed conflict in the past decade (Naim, 31). Moreover, the FBI reported that a large number of homicides in the US were committed with the use of guns (Cooper & Smith, 27).
It is noted in recent research, the use of firearms is a prevalent practice among gang members. Researchers found a strong association of illegal gun use, gang membership and the use and trade of prohibited drugs (Decker & Pennel, 995). The value of carrying a gun to a gang member is best explained by the information gathered from a study where a member expressed that they use it in gang fights, and to people who disrespects them. The violence associated with being a member of a gang, makes gang members feel the necessity to own a gun.
The use of guns and the increased violence in the society can have a negative impact on the victim, perpetrator and the witness. A study conducted over gang members indicated that they are “over twice as likely as non-gang member to be both victims and offenders” (Pyrooz et al, 316). This trend is attributed to the fact that gang members have a high level of involvement in violence, which leads to the perpetration of violent acts against them. Consequently, gang violence negatively affects the health and welfare of victims and offenders, because both will have to live with fear of a repeat of the offense on the part of the victim and the fear of retaliation on the part of the offender.
Further, violence can also have a detrimental impact to the emotional well being of bystanders, witnesses and the neighborhood as a whole. Gang-infested neighborhood are said to be living in an unusual situation, where they tend to experience “a steady drip of low-level violence and threats of violence, occasionally punctuated by a dramatic killing” (Diaz, 121). For crime witnesses, they will not only have to deal with the emotional trauma of having personally witnessed a crime, but in most cases they will be asked to share and testify about what they saw. This puts them in an uncomfortable situation, in addition to the fact that they are putting their lives in danger for testifying against criminality.
Works Cited
Cooper, Alexia, and Erica Smith. "Homicide Trends in the United States, 1980-2008." U.S Department of Justice (2011): n. pag. Web.
Covey, Herbert. Street Gangs Throughout the World. Charles Thomas Publisher, 2010. Print.
Decker, Scott, and Susan Pennel. "Arrestees and Guns: Monitoring the Illegal Firearms Market." National Institute of Justice (1995): n. pag. Web.
Diaz, Tom. No Boundaries: Transnational Latino Gangs and American Law Enforcement. University of Michigan, 2009. Print.
Howell, James. "Youth Gang Drug Trafficking and Homicide: Policy and Program Implications." Juvenile Justice 4.2 (1997): n. pag. Web. <https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles/166823.pdf>.
Naim, Moises. "The Five Wars of Globalization." Foreign Policy Magazine (2003): n. pag. Web.
Pyrooz, David, Richard Moule, and Scott Decker. "The Contribution of Gang Membership to the Victim-Offender Overlap." Journal of Research in Crime and Delinquency 5.3 (2014): 315-348. Web.
