Young punks find guns easy to get

Phil has never had a problem finding guns. Even when he was 13, obtaining a firearm was no problem.

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BORDER="1"> FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2">Stolen weapons FACE="Verdana,Helvetica,Arial" SIZE="2"> 56 percent of U.S. gun homicides in 1999 were committed by those younger than 25. A gun is 23 times more likely to be stolen than used by a child in an accident or suicide attempt. 170,000 guns are stolen in the United States annually. On average a gun is used in a crime five to eight years after it was purchased legally. 9.9 percent of prison inmates used a stolen gun in their crimes. Sources: Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative, Americans for Gun Safety Foundation, U.S. Department of Justice

Today Phil, who asked that his real name not be used, is 23 and estimates he has owned 20 to 30 guns during his lifetime. The most guns he owned at one time was five or six, he said, including a shotgun he kept under his bed unbeknownst to his parents, who were opposed to guns.

None of the guns Phil owned was obtained legally. But Phil, who has been a gang member for more than 10 years, said he never thought twice about having them.

"That's just the way life is nowadays," he said. "I just had my gun in case I needed it."

Phil's nonchalant attitude toward juveniles owning and using guns is nothing new for law enforcement officers. Nationwide offenders younger than the age of 25 accounted for 56 percent of all gun homicides in 1999, the most recent year statistics were available, according to the Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative.

The fact is, juveniles have an open market to guns as long as they know the right people. And most of their supply comes from law-abiding citizens who are legal gun owners.

Guns stolen out of houses and cars are an enormous problem in the United States. A gun is 23 times more likely to be stolen by a criminal than it is to be used by a child in an accident or suicide attempt, according to a Dec. 18, 2002, report from the Americans for Gun Safety Foundation.