KSL: 'Warrior Gene' linked to gang membership and weapon use

SALT LAKE CITY — Researchers already know there are many genes in our body that probably influence our behavior and our temperament. But this new study is the first to link a variant of a common gene specifically to gangs and violence.

"I liked the violence, kind of the drama of it. I liked the fighting. I loved it. I fed off of it."

Those are the words of a former gang member. We'll call him Mr. "C" to protect his identity. Though he was in gangs for eight years, he now works with Salt Lake County's Project 180 to help persuade young people to walk a different path.

We don't know whether "C" was genetically predisposed to join a gang, but Dr. Kevin Beaver at Florida State University's College of Criminology and Criminal Justice found a link in a lot of other gang members.

"In short, we found the gene predicted membership into a gang. It also predicted weapon use in a general population; and then among gang members, it predicted those gang members who were the most violent," Beaver said.

Read the full story at KSL.com.