Sociology Associate Professor Melissa Barragan’s research on illegal gun possession policing finds that fear of community violence combined with distrust of law enforcement can lead individuals to carry illegal guns as a form of perceived self-protection. “Not only have I been harassed by police,” Barragan says about the mindset of those she interviewed, “but now I have folks in my community that are making me feel unsafe. I can’t go to the police to protect me, because clearly they haven’t been interested in protecting me. They’ve only been interested in harassing me. I’m going to do what I need to do, which is, oftentimes, illegally carry a gun.” 

This article was originally published by New York Amsterdam News on June 11, 2026.