Cultural exchange

Gun shows in the Silver State preceded rises in gun-related deaths and injuries in the Golden State, according to a National Institutes of Health-funded study scheduled for publication in Annals of Internal Medicine, a professional journal.

The study contains figures indicating that deaths and injuries in some California areas increased up to 70 percent after Nevada gun shows, which are less regulated than in California. The effect lasts for about two weeks.

According to a prepared statement, “The study identified 275 gun shows in Nevada (mostly in Reno and Las Vegas) and 640 gun shows in California between 2005 and 2013. No publicly available database of gun shows exists for either state, so the researchers combed through trade publications to identify the dates and locations of gun shows. Gun shows in Nevada were associated with increases in firearm deaths and injuries in California communities within convenient driving distance. California gun shows, in contrast, were not associated with local, short-term increases in firearm deaths and injuries. Non-firearm injuries served as a negative control and were not associated with California or Nevada gun shows.

“Compared to the two weeks before the gun shows occurred, post-show firearm injury rates remained stable in regions near California gun shows. But post-show firearm injury rates increased from 0.67 per 100,000 people to 1.14 per 100,000 in regions near Nevada shows. This 70 percent increase translates to 30 more firearms deaths or injuries in California near the state line after 161 Nevada gun shows.”