Geographic Networks of Gun Violence: Exploring Hot Spot Connectivity Through Ballistic Evidence and Social Network Analysis

Objectives While crime-and-place research consistently demonstrates that a minority of places account for most of the crime in a given jurisdiction, much less is known about the extent to which these hot spots are interconnected. Informed by the social network analysis literature, we explore whether gun violence networks occur in spatial forms, with hot spots connected by distinct firearms used in the commission of crime. Methods We construct a network where ballistic evidence from crime guns ties together street segments in Kansas City, Missouri. Data from the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network is used to construct connections between street segments that contain ballistic evidence associated with the same crime gun. Results Findings indicate that street segments classified as gun violence hot spots were more likely to be connected to one another than would be expected by chance (i.e., hot spot homophily). This suggests hot spots do not operate as self-contained entities but are components of a larger geographic network of gun violence. Conclusion The current study suggests that crime gun linkages can enhance our understanding of how gun violence hot spots not only share certain structural features but also are connected in ways suggestive of spatial and social interdependence.