Abstract
Despite recent growths in research exploring the nature and scope of the online illicit marketplace, there has been a dearth of criminological inquiry examining both the chronological and functional steps offenders use to exchange illegal firearms online. As a result, it is unclear what role and function active market participants have within the online illicit firearms market, including the process of advertising, purchasing, and delivering these weapons. The current study sought to address this gap in the literature through a crime script analysis of 19 vendors advertising weapons on the Dark Web. The step-by-step processes involved in the advertising, actualization, and acquisition of illicit firearms were examined in detail.
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