Authors examined whether risk behaviors, perpetration and victimization of violence, and experience with firearms differ among three groups of adolescents who have their own handgun (“haves”), adolescents who do not have a handgun and say that they could obtain one in two days (“getters”), and adolescents who neither have nor say that they could get one within two days (“unable to gets”) using data collected as a supplement to the 2001 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS).

Findings: Those who said they could get a handgun in two days reported similar and those who said they could not get a handgun reported fewer risk behaviors and less violence perpetration and victimization than adolescents who have their own handgun. Adolescents who said they could get a handgun reported more exposure to and experience with firearms than those who said they could not get a handgun. Risk reduction efforts regarding adolescents should be expanded to include adolescents who say they can get a handgun.​