The League of Women Voters of South Hampton Roads, The American Association of University Women - Virginia Beach, Virginians Against Handgun Violence and the Coalition to Stop Gun Violence have prepared a Power Point presentation outlining the problems in the gun show loophole with health and police statistics geared to our state and to the specific locality of the interested parties who request it.

Would your organization or group like to receive a briefing on the gun show loophole?

We will travel and present the show to your group for free.
Interested parties may contact us by calling 757-423-8801, or via email by clicking HERE


We have two different presentations which you can access here. One is a non-localized presentation. The other is a presentation customized for and recently presented to a group of business leaders in Richmond:


You can download the fact sheet below as a PDF document by clicking this link: GunFacts.PDF
** FACT SHEET **
VIRGINIA, BACKGROUND CHECKS, AND GUN SHOWS
Gun Violence in Virginia
• 757 Virginians died from gun violence in 2001 - 77 of them children. Virginia’s gun death rate is higher than the national average 1
• In 2000, 1129 crime guns used in various states and Washington, DC, were traced back to Virginia, making the state a leading source of crime guns in the nation2
• 91% of crime guns recovered in Richmond were originally purchased within Virginia,suggesting the state’s weak gun laws aid criminal access to guns3
Gun Shows In Virginia
• In 2002, 74 gun shows were held in Virginia. 16,012 gun transactions by licensed sellers occurred at these shows.4
• Between 22 and 35% of gun show vendors are unlicensed sellers.5
• States that do not require gun show background checks – such as Virginia – are more likely to export crime guns to other states.6
• In 2002, background checks prevented nearly 2,500 illegal gun transactions to criminals in Virginia -- 69% of these denied transactions involved a felony or domestic violence conviction.7
• 88% of Virginians support requiring criminal background checks on all sales at gunshows. 84% of Virginia’s gun owners – and 81% of NRA supporters – favor the measure.8
• Nationally, 26,000 guns were illegally trafficked from gun shows between 1996 and 1998, making gun shows America’s second largest source of crime guns9
• 10% of guns used in crime by juveniles were sold either at a gun show or a flea market10
Sources
1.) Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “WISQARS -- Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System,” www.cdc.gov.
2.) U.S. Department of Justice and Treasury. " Youth Crime Gun Interdiction Initiative (2000)," July 2002.
3.) Webster DW, Vernick J., Hepburn L., “Relationship Between Licensing, Registration, and Other Gun Sales Laws and the Source State of Crime Guns,” Injury Prevention, September 2001.
4.) Virginia State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services Division
5.) Virginia State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services Division
6.) U.S. Department of Justice and Treasury. "Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearms Traffickers," June 2000.
7.) Virginia State Police, Criminal Justice Information Services Division
8.) Lake, Snell, Perry & Associates, October 2001
9.) U.S. Department of Justice and Treasury. "Following the Gun: Enforcing Federal Laws Against Firearms Traffickers," June 2000.
10.) U.S. Department of Justice and Treasury. "Commerce in Firearms in the United States." February 2000.