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Progress Notes

GUN VIOLENCE: What Really Happens At Gun Shows?

Gun shows and a lack of uniform laws governing the private transfer of firearms provides easy access to guns that can be used for criminal purposes, according to a new report recently released by Joyce grantee, the University of California Davis Violence Prevention Research Program. The report, entitled Inside Gun Shows: What Goes on When Everybody Thinks Nobody’s Watching, includes hundreds of photographs and video footage showing illegal straw purchases, whereby a surrogate buys from a licensed retailer on behalf of another person; anonymous, undocumented private-party gun sales; and widespread availability of assault weapons, .50-caliber rifles and the parts needed to make untraceable guns. Dr. Garen Wintemute, author of the report, argues that stricter regulation of private party gun sales, and stepped-up enforcement at gun shows, are needed to prevent the illegal sale of guns.

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