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First study of gun shows finds California laws reduce illegal gun purchases

More undocumented, private-party gun sales and illegal straw purchases found outside of California, study shows

Journalists may participate by teleconference on June 12 at 10 a.m. P.T.; details below

WHAT:

UC Davis emergency medicine physician Garen Wintemute will report the results of his observational study of 28 gun shows in California, Nevada, Florida, Arizona and Texas. The study, EMBARGOED by the journal Injury Prevention on Mon., June 11 at 4 p.m. Pacific Time, found California’s more stringent gun control laws are associated with a lower incidence of anonymous, undocumented gun sales and illegal “straw” purchases. California gun shows also were less likely to sell military-style assault weapons. Full news release and gun-show photographs are available on a password protected site at www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/newsroom/protected/index.html. Login and password available by contacting UC Davis Health System Public Affairs office listed above.

WHEN:

Tuesday, June 12, 2007
10 – 11 a.m. PDT

WHERE:

UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute
2825 50th St., Sacramento, CA
(Parking in Lot 25 is free for vehicles displaying press credentials) Map and directions available at http://www.ucdmc.ucdavis.edu/mindinstitute/maps_directions/index.html

WHO:

Garen Wintemute, director of the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research Program, is a leading authority on gun violence prevention. His research investigates the nature, cause and impact of gun violence, which helps law enforcement and public policymakers develop more effective approaches to prevent illegal gun use and violence.

Stephen P. Teret, director of the Center for Law and the Public's Health at Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, will participate via audio connection to discuss the implications of the research on policy, from the need for background checks on firearm transfers to increased presence of law enforcement to monitor activities.

VISUALS:

Photographs that document an illegal “straw” purchase; displays of military-style assault weapons available for sale, including new easily-concealable designs; aisles crowded with attendees selling guns on private-party basis; common use of cell phone cameras among attendees to purchase guns.

TELECONFERENCE:

Date of call: June 12, 2007
Time of call: 10 a.m. Pacific
To participate by teleconference, dial (888) 795-9722
Conference ID # 3819258
Conference name: Gun Research
Leader name: Carole Gan
Call-in participants will be able to hear speakers and ask questions.

UC Davis Health System is the leading tertiary care provider for a 33-county region of Northern California. Research strengths at UC Davis Health System include clinical and translational science, stem cell science, infectious diseases, vascular biology, neuroscience, cancer, functional genomics and mouse biology, comparative medicine, combinatorial chemistry and nutrition, among many others.

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