Prior misdemeanor convictions as a risk factor for later violent and firearm-related criminal activity among authorized purchasers of handguns

Context.-Under current federal law, many persons with prior convictions for misdemeanor offenses pass criminal records background checks and legally p urchase handguns. Objective.-To determine whether authorized handgun purchasers with prior mi sdemeanor convictions are more likely than those with no criminal history t o be charged with new crimes, particularly offenses involving firearms and violence. Design.-Retrospective cohort study. Setting and Participants.-A total of 5923 authorized purchasers of handguns in California in 1977 who were younger than 50 years, identified by random sample. Main Outcome Measures.-Incidence and relative risk (RR) of first charges fo r new criminal offenses after handgun purchase. Results.-Of the 5923 authorized purchasers, 3128 had at least 1 conviction for a misdemeanor offense prior to handgun purchase, and 2795 had no prior criminal history. Follow-up to the end of the 15-year observation period or to death was available for 77.8% of study subjects and for a median 8.9 ye ars for another 9.6%. Handgun purchasers with at least 1 prior misdemeanor conviction were more than 7 times as likely as those with no prior criminal history to be charged with a new offense after handgun purchase (RR, 7.5; 95% confidence interval [CI], 6.6-8.7). Among men, those with 2 or more pri or convictions for misdemeanor violence were at greatest risk for nonviolen t firearm-related offenses such as weapon carrying (RR, 11.7; 95% CI, 6.8-2 0.0), violent offenses generally (RR, 10.4; 95% CI, 6.9-15.8), and Violent Crime Index offenses (murder or non-negligent manslaughter, forcible rape, robbery, or aggravated assault) (RR, 15.1; 95% CI, 9.4-24.3). However, even handgun purchasers with only 1 prior misdemeanor conviction and no convict ions for offenses involving firearms or violence were nearly 5 times as lik ely as those with no prior criminal history to be charged with new offenses involving firearms or violence. Conclusions.-Handgun purchasers with prior misdemeanor convictions are at i ncreased risk for future criminal activity, including violent and firearm-r elated crimes.