CRIMINAL JUSTICE AND BEHAVIOR, 201X, Vol. XX, No. X, Month 2015, 1–16. DOI: 10.1177/0093854815611707 © 2015 International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology 1 “DAMNED IF YOU DO, DAMNED IF YOU DON’T” Perceptions of Guns, Safety, and Legitimacy Among Detained Gun Offenders MELISSA BARRAGAN NICOLE SHERMAN KERAMET REITER GEORGE E. TITA University of California, Irvine Procedural justice research generally indicates that legitimacy produces compliance when people perceive the law and legal actors to be fair. Drawing upon 140 in-depth interviews with gun offenders detained in Los Angeles County jails, this article examines legal and extra-legal factors that influence illegal gun possession. Although prior research studies on legal and illegal gun carrying have suggested a relationship between (a) safety perceptions and possession and (b) legal perceptions and possession, few have deeply interrogated how such perceptions develop and interact to inform ideas of legitimacy and compliance with gun laws. Our findings suggest that feelings of insecurity coupled with perceptions of, and experiences with, law enforcement interacted in complex ways to condition legitimacy-based beliefs, and ultimately, compliance. Although many of our respondents viewed the law as legitimate in the abstract, they believed it to be illegitimate in individual applica- tion, especially where rules and sanctions failed to account for personal experiences of insecurity. Keywords: procedural justice; legitimacy; special issue [People] just look on the outside; they don’t look on the inside . . . Why they do carry [guns], why they do have them . . . Is it because they’re fearful of life, or is it because they just want to start trouble? —Mike, 27 years old AUTHORS’ NOTE: This research was supported by an award from the California Wellness Foundation and the University of Chicago Crime Lab. The interview instrument on which this research is based was developed in collaboration with the multi-city gun project at the Crime Lab. The opinions, findings, and conclusions pre- sented herein reflect those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Foundation or the Lab. We would like to thank our funders, faculty, and staff at the University of Chicago Crime Lab, and our Irvine research team, including Natalie Pifer, Kelsie Chesnut, Jason Gravel, and Laura Zlotowski, for their support throughout the research process. We would also like to thank the anonymous reviewers and editor, Kristy Holtfreter, for their thoughtful comments on previous versions of this article. Finally, we would like to thank our participants and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, without whom this research would not be possible. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Melissa Barragan, Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, 3373 Social Ecology II, Irvine, CA 92697; e-mail: barragm1@uci.edu. 611707CJB XX X 10.1177/0093854815611707Criminal Justice and BehaviorBarragan et al. / PERCEPTIONS OF GUNS, SAFETY, AND LEGITIMACY AMONG DETAINED GUN OFFENDERS research-article 2015 at UCI MEDICAL CENTER on May 8, 2016 cjb.sagepub.com Downloaded from