California laws regulating gun shows are the strictest in the nation. The proposed closure of the gun show at the Cow Palace, the state fairground for San Francisco, will have no effect on the reduction of gun violence.

The closure of the show will not prevent criminals from obtaining guns from the sources where they have always obtained them.

The closure will only affect the First Amendment right of the Bay Area’s law-abiding gun owners to assemble and share their hobby with others who have common interests.

Those who would restrict the rights of lawful gun owners because of the violent acts of deranged killers are attempting to advance their gun-control agenda at the expense of Northern California’s law-abiding gun owners.

The director of the UC Firearm Violence Research Center, Dr. Garen Wintemute, said the California Gun Show Enforcement and Security Act of 2000 is the most effective law in the nation in reducing access to firearms because of background checks required at all California gun shows. Dr. Wintemute has called California gun shows as a source of crime “really boring.”

My company, the Crossroads of the West Gun Shows, has a 32-year history of presenting shows at the Cow Palace with no known incidents of gun violence resulting from activities at the show. The gun shows are closely monitored by local law enforcement and by undercover agents from the state Department of Justice and the state Bureau of Firearms Enforcement and by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives. Show activities are in compliance with every applicable federal and California law.

No purchaser may take possession of a firearm at the show.

Only fully-licensed dealers may offer firearms for sale, and a dealer report of sale, a background check and a 10-day waiting period are required before any firearm can be delivered.

A prospective purchaser must complete a Firearms Safety Test, submit to a comprehensive background check by the state Department of Justice, wait 10 days, and only then travel to the dealer’s licensed premises to obtain the firearm.

Felons convicted of gun crimes tell interviewers they got their guns from their social network or a family member, according to various reports. One study of adult offenders living in gun-crime-ridden Chicago determined that criminals obtain virtually all of their guns by these means. Rarely is the source either direct purchase from a gun show, a gun store, or even theft. This agrees with other, broader studies of incarcerated felons. Fewer than 1 percent of guns used in crimes are traceable to gun shows nationwide, and the percentage of guns used in crimes in California is even smaller.

It is valuable to the community to continue to hold gun shows, as it provides a central location where individuals may sell a firearm in compliance with California’s strict laws regarding the transfer of firearms. A gun owner who wishes to sell a firearm to a prospective buyer can contact a licensed dealer at the show to assist in the lawful transfer of a firearm.

Law-enforcement is generally supportive of the gun show because it provides a place and a legally prescribed procedure for ensuring that all firearm transfers have been approved by the state Department of Justice.

We can only begin to solve gun violence when we agree on legal, realistic objectives. Our priority should be to work together to encourage the strictest enforcement of federal and state laws against gun possession by those prohibited from having one. That would include those mentally unfit to be in possession of a firearm and convicted felons, including domestic violence perpetrators. Only then will we make real progress toward reducing gun violence.

Robert R. Templeton is CEO of Crossroads of the West Gun Shows, a family-owned business with a 43-year history of conducting gun shows, including those in the Cow Palace.