Senator Carl Levin: Inside the Gun Show

October 5, 2009 -- "Mr. President, the Violence Prevention Research Program at the University of California, Davis released an important report earlier this month detailing many of the potential dangers at gun shows. The report, Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Watching, was composed from an analysis of existing research as well as direct observation and photographic evidence.

During a three year period, data was collected from 78 gun shows in 19 states. The report provides a clear illustration of a largely unregulated gun market that is “an important source of guns used in criminal violence.”

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Under the federal Brady Act, before an individual can purchase a handgun from a licensed dealer, they must pass a background check to insure they are not legally prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm. In 2008, 9.9 million background checks were conducted for firearm purchases, 147,000 of which were rejected. The majority of these denials were the consequence of a prior conviction or indictment. However, when an individual purchases a handgun from a private citizen, who is not a licensed gun dealer, there are no requirements to ensure that the purchaser is not in a prohibited category. Because private party transactions account for approximately 40 percent of all gun sales, current federal background check requirements have limited affect over the overall rates of gun related violent crime.

Based on promoter listing, the report estimates that there were nearly 2,800 gun shows in the United States during 2007. Generally open to the public, they can vary in size from fewer than 100 display tables to a few thousand. Accounting for approximately one-third of sales at these shows, unlicensed vendors often seek to exploit their unregulated status. At one show, a vendor advertised with a sign that read “No background checks required; we only need to know where you live and how old you are.”

The report details that while a wide range of guns can be found at most gun shows, assault weapons, particularly civilian versions AR and AK rifles, are much more prominent than one might generally see at a licensed gun store. Semiautomatic pistols that accept the same high-capacity magazines and fire the same ammunition as AR and AK rifles are also heavily present. Even .50 caliber rifles, notorious for their extraordinary destructive capabilities, are available from some private parties.

According to the report, there were more than 360,000 violent crimes involving guns, including an estimated 11,512 homicides, committed in the United States in 2007 alone. While America accounts for less than five percent of the world’s population, we account for somewhere between 35 to 50 percent of all firearms in civilian hands. Gun shows present an ideal opportunity for gun traffickers to make unregulated purchases. I urge my colleagues to take up and pass sensible gun legislation that will help prevent such acts and help protect the safety of our communities."

Source: Senator Carl Levin