Gunshows and Crime - Do they really contribute to crime significantly?

There's unfortunately been a lot of talk about gun shows in the media recently, particularly in regard to how a supposed "gunshow loophole" is responsible for a sizeable contribution of firearms to criminals. Only a handful of states have these laws that allow for a private sale of a gun without a background check at gunshows, and it very rarely is done, as most gunshow sellers are registered dealers and thus must perform a background irregardless of being at a gunshow. Nonetheless, a lot has been said about it. While I personally wouldn't mind if this supposed loophole was closed, it likely would have little, if any real tangible benefit if it did.

The main issue is that very few guns, literally less than 1%, that are used in crimes, come from gunshows. A Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) report on "Firearms Use by Offenders" found that only 0.8% of prison inmates reported acquiring firearms used in their crimes "At a gun show," with repeat offenders less likely than first-time offenders to report acquiring firearms from a retail source, gun show or flea market. [1][2] Furthermore, of that .8% only a relatively small percentage of guns would have been bought because of the "loophole" which while the exact numbers are unknown (in part for being such a tiny fraction), is likely less than 1% of that .8%, as well. A study in 2008 examined the murder rate before and after gun shows were restricted in various states including Texas and California, and found almost no difference in crime rates either way.

The impact of gun shows on crime is either too small to be anything more than negligible or doesn't even exist. Even if criminals obtain some of their weapons from gunshows, it doesn't mean they couldn't have obtained firearms through other means. A person who can't go to one store, might opt to go to the other if the first store closes. A single retail center closing doesn't mean grocery shopping will decrease, it will just shift to alternative market, such as walmart, krogers or so on. In any case, closing this loophole may or may not be a good idea, depending on how easy it allows it for criminals to get guns, even if criminals simply don't use the method very often. But regardless, it is not some kind of quick fix to crime.