Troubleshooting Gun Violence: An Evaluation of Ghost Guns and Firearm-Related Violence in a Bay Area City

Monday, October 16, 2023

12:15 PM – 1:30 PM PST

Location: Room: 6D

Submitter and Speaker(s)

Michelle Rippy, EdD

Associate Professor/Director, Forensic Science Research Center, Department of Criminal Justice
California State University, East Bay
Hayward, California, United States

Speaker(s)

SJ

Summer Jackson, PhD

Assistant Professor, Criminal Justice Department
California State University, East Bay
Hayward, California, United States
TC

Toney Chaplin

Chief of Police
Hayward Police Department, California
Hayward, California, United States

Similar to many cities across the United States, Hayward, California, is experiencing an uptick in gun-related violence. Gun crimes continue to threaten the safety of the community and its first responders, with non-serialized firearms adding significant dangers. The lack of oversight, ease of assembly, and untraceable nature of ghost guns make it a uniquely dangerous and growing challenge for law enforcement. However, little is known regarding the extent and nature of these non-serialized weapons. Using firearm-related data provided by the Hayward Police Department, this practitioner/academic partnership research examined the extent and nature of gun violence, weapon confiscation, magazine characteristics, precipitating factors of gun-specific contacts, crime tourism, and other violence factors.