Episode 218-Gun Shows Save Lives

Episode 218- Gun Shows Save Lives

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Gun Lawyer– Episode 218 Transcript

Gun Lawyer — Episode 218 Transcript

SUMMARY KEYWORDS

Gun shows, unregulated gun shows, homicide rate, suicide rate, gun rights, California gun shows,

Texas gun shows, mental health, law enforcement, New Jersey gun laws, gun rights oppression, gun

ownership, firearm acquisition, dual residency, gun lawyer.

SPEAKERS

Evan Nappen

Evan Nappen 00:15

Hello, I’m Evan Nappen, and welcome to Gun Lawyer. Did you know that unregulated gun shows

actually save lives? Yeah, and it’s not just me saying that. It’s actually been demonstrated by quite a

detailed study. I’m looking at a great article written by one of my favorite gun writers, Dean Weingarten.

This is from AmmoLand, and the title is “Unregulated Gun Shows Save Lives” (Peer Reviewed Study).

(https://www.ammoland.com/2024/12/unregulated-gun-shows-save-lives-peer-reviewed-study/)

Evan Nappen 00:44

The reason for that, which is really fascinating, is that there was a paper published in 2008, and what

the paper compared was the highly regulated California gun shows, with the relatively unregulated

Texas gun shows. I think we all know there’s a huge difference when it comes to gun rights between

the gun rights oppression state of California and the gun rights liberty state of Texas. What they found

in their study was pretty fascinating, and, of course, you’ve heard nothing about this on the lame stream

media. But they found that there was no statistical difference in suicide rates or in homicide rates in

California. And the Texas gun shows, with far less regulation, actually showed a statistically significant

drop in the homicide rate.

Evan Nappen 01:59

So, think about that, folks. The unregulated gun shows created a drop in the homicide rate as

compared to the regulated shows. Dean quotes from the study, and it’s really interesting. “But our

results provide little evidence of a gun show-induced increase in mortality in Texas. In fact, we find that

in the two weeks following a gun show, the average number of gun homicides declines in the area

surrounding the gun show. Aggregating across all gun shows in the state, we find that there are

approximately 16 fewer gun homicides resulting from the 200 gun shows in the average year. In the

sections below, we discuss several possible explanations for this counter intuitive finding. However, it is

important to keep in mind that while these results are statistically significant, they are quite small —

representing just one percent of all homicides in Texas in the average year.”

Evan Nappen 03:16

But still, it is a reduction, folks. Less. As Dean points out, the authors downplay the result, but it is

fascinating. They go on further in the abstract to say, “Thousands of gun shows take place in the U.S.Page – 2 – of 9

each year. Gun control advocates argue that because sales at gun shows are much less regulated than

other sales, such shows make it easier for potential criminals to obtain a gun. Similarly, one might be

concerned that gun shows would exacerbate suicide rates by providing individuals considering suicide

with a more lethal means of ending their lives. On the other hand, proponents argue that gun shows are

innocuous since potential criminals can acquire guns quite easily through other black market sales or

theft. In this paper, we use data from Gun and Knife Show Calendar combined with vital statistics data

to examine the effect of gun shows. We find no evidence that gun shows lead to substantial increases

in either gun homicides or suicides. In addition, tighter regulation of gun shows does not appear to

reduce the number of firearms-related deaths.”

Evan Nappen 04:36

So, there you go. And guess what? This was no small study. It was a 10 year study of 3,300 gun

shows, and it was not a study conducted by gun rights advocates, pro-gun forces. So, this is pretty

fascinating. And you know, when you look at New Jersey, New Jersey doesn’t even have gun shows at

all. The law in New Jersey talks about having a display or exposition of guns but not a gun show. You

know, where dealers could actually sell guns at a show? They’re not allowed. They don’t have that.

They created a provision of “allowing a gun show”, but that’s only a place where you can show a gun.

It’s not a marketplace that is permitted as it is in many of the other states, such as Texas and

Pennsylvania, of course.

Evan Nappen 05:36

Of course, New Jerseyans, for years and years, if they wanted to go to a real gun show, they go to the

closest ones, which are in Pennsylvania. They’re pretty good shows that they hold there. But it’s really a

shame that New Jersey can’t lower its suicide rates and its homicide rates by having gun shows.

Imagine that. But that would just be too much for the gun rights oppressionists in Trenton to wrap their

heads around. And, of course, gun shows become something more than a place where guns are sold.

It’s a place of political organization. It’s a place where gun rights and gun laws and the shenanigans of

the gun rights oppressors can be discussed, and folks can organize and become part of the movement

and learn about these things. It’s a part of the social interaction, the association, person to person. And

that’s very important as well, because those are spots of organization where individuals can get

together to make a difference politically.

Evan Nappen 06:49

Yet, that’s another reason they don’t want to have these shows, because those same shows. Look, I’ll

tell you. Have you ever been to a gun show during election season? You know who the pro-gun

candidates are and who they’re not. Many of the pro-gun rights candidates physically go to the gun

shows because they meet their constituents. But in New Jersey, we don’t see that happening because

we don’t have the gun shows. One day, hopefully, we’ll be able to get gun shows back in New Jersey.

We may, in fact, see cases that are already in the process of challenging restrictions placed in other

states on gun shows. And if those cases can make Constitutional law in the Supreme Court, they may

be able to break New Jersey free from its stranglehold on stopping gun shows and thereby causing

more homicides and more suicides because they don’t allow gun shows.Page – 3 – of 9

Evan Nappen 07:58

The counter intuitive effect is very interesting, and the bottom line is that gun shows are an expression

of our rights, our ability to engage in the right to keep and bear arms and to have an organizational

marketplace of not just guns and ammo, but ideas and politics that constantly threaten us. But for now,

if you live in New Jersey, go to the free states around that have gun shows. Pennsylvania has some

great ones. There are others in other states, and it’s always a good time. And as you visit those states,

of course, you’ll long to not go back to the gun rights oppression of New Jersey, but at least you can

experience freedom for the time that you’re visiting those shows. So, interesting stuff, for sure.

Evan Nappen 08:57

I want to mention that we have some great letters from my beloved listeners, and here’s one from Bill.

Bill says, love your show and your book. Quick question on our law enforcement here in NJ. I read a

headline in our local paper. “Grant Allows Bergen County to enhance mental health care for police

officers”. (https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/bergen/2024/12/12/grant-bergen-county-nj-enhance-

police-mental-health-care/76925886007/) Why is it we can be disqualified for life to own a firearm if we

see a therapist; yet we’re paying to send our cops to the same? Is it a double standard? Do they lose

their rights to own and carry a firearm? And, of course, all our law enforcement officers obey the strict

letter of the law in all things.

Evan Nappen 09:47

Well, let me tell you, Bill. There is no actual exemption in the gun laws for law enforcement who get

either voluntary or involuntary mental health commitments. Involuntary mental health commitment, even

if they are given monies to pay for such a thing, or even a voluntary commitment that gets funded, or

however this grant works, I don’t know. The officer is not relieved of the disqualifier under N.J.S. 2C:58-

3. There is no law enforcement exemption to the mental health commitment, whether voluntary or

involuntary, folks. So, if this program is expanding mental health care again, what does that mean? I’m

not sure. But if they’re talking about either commitments, voluntary or involuntary, then the officer is still

subject to the licensing disqualifications under 58-3.

Evan Nappen 10:52

Now, there is other mental health care where they’re treated or observed. Well, again, that question is

asked on any gun license, whether it’s for a Firearms ID Card or a Pistol Purchase Permit or a Permit to

Carry in New Jersey. And if you fall under that treated or observed, you are going to have to answer

truthfully that you were treated or observed even as a law enforcement officer. Then you are going to

have to overcome that. If it wasn’t a commitment, either voluntary or involuntar