NCJ Number
168374
Date Published
1996
Length
76 pages
Annotation
This study analyzes the impact of the McClure-Volkmer legislation and gauges the law's effect on public safety.
Abstract
The eight sections of the study discuss the following: (1) events leading to passage of the bill; (2) the debate over allowing Federal Firearms License holders to sell at gun shows and the two changes in McClure-Volkmer that led to the proliferation of gun shows; (3) the proliferation of gun shows that followed McClure-Volkmer's passage, the competition between licensed gun dealers and unlicensed hobbyists, opportunities presented to Class 3 machine-gun dealers by gun shows, and the limitations of law enforcement in effectively policing gun shows; (4) the most common ways in which illegal transactions are conducted at gun shows; (5) notable gun show participants and the role of gun shows in the militia movement; (6) how gun shows have become a ready market for stolen military parts; (7) three developments that may have an effect on gun shows, i.e., increased civil litigation, the decrease in the number of Federal Firearms License holders and the first-time sponsorship of shows by the National Rifle Association; and (8) Federal and State policy recommendations based on the study's findings. Notes, appendixes