I’ve just finished reading a summary report from Injury Prevention, an academic journal, on the effectiveness and limitations of California’s laws on secondary sales and gun shows. The study was conducted by Dr. Garen J. Wintemute, director of UC Davis’ Violence Prevention Research Program, and concludes that regulation of gun show sales reduces illegal gun sales without restricting legitimate gun sales.

Also of interest is the report from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of the Inspector General, concerning ATF investigative procedures at gun shows. According to the report, “most gun show promoters and all state and local law enforcement personnel… were supportive of ATF operations at gun shows,� and “[a]ll gun show promoters… were concerned about illegal gun sales and purchases at gun shows.�

In the gun violence debate, there are people – on both sides – who pretend that it’s an all-or-nothing fight, and that we must choose between two extremes. These studies help make the point that there are plenty of things that can be done to reduce the flow of illegal guns without infringing on the rights of law-abiding citizens.

California is one of only a handful of cities and states that have closed the “gun show loophole,� requiring that all firearms purchasers go through a Brady background check at the time of sale. Dr. Wintemute, who based his study on his own extensive personal observations at gun shows, expected to see far fewer transactions in California than in the other states he observed. According to some gun lobby talking points, background checks at gun shows are such a hardship that they prevent even honest sellers from conducting business. It has always been hard for me to believe that background checks would be that burdensome, particularly given modern technology. Dr. Wintemute’s study helps show that California’s regulations do not hinder gun shows, and that the regulations also make straw purchases much more difficult for criminals to conduct.

In his report, Dr. Wintemute concludes that “[g]un shows can be regulated so as to diminish their importance as sources of crime guns without greatly reducing attendance or commercial activity.�

That’s what the gun violence debate should really be about: finding ways to reduce access to firearms by dangerous individuals without unduly affecting law-abiding citizens. Treating gun show sales like regular gun purchases can go a long way toward that goal.