One-third of U.S. households own guns

[RamboLiberal]

Almost one-third of U.S. households report having any guns in the home -- the lowest level ever since the survey began in the 1970s, a survey indicates.

The report by the Violence Policy Center is an analysis of data from the General Social Survey conducted by the National Opinion Research Center at the University of Chicago. The report says household gun ownership peaked in 1977, with 54 percent of households reported having any guns.

However, by 2010 household gun ownership dropped to 32.3 percent of U.S. households reporting having any guns in the home -- the lowest level ever recorded by the General Social Survey.

Male gun ownership peaked in 1990, with 52.4 percent of U.S. men reported personally owning a gun, but this dropped to 33.2 percent in 2010. Female gun ownership peaked in 1982 at 14.3 percent and dropped to 9.9 percent in 2010.



Read more: http://www.upi.com/Health_News/2011/04/26/One-third-of-US-households-own-guns/UPI-46991303850331/#ixzz1Kfl4sQwe

[slackmaster]

1. In other news, a record number of households report tragic boating accidents in the last year

Sales of ABS pipe, fittings, and post-hole diggers are at all-time highs.

[friendly_iconoclast]

40. Sales of bag sealers and dessicant crystals are up as well

Protip: Turkey roasting bags have uses beyond oven roasting and packaging wholesale quantities of cannabis...

[xchrom]

2. So 2/3 rds don't? And probably have no interest and my view

A well regulated militia literally.

Good news.

[orangeapple]

7. one researcher places the trend

on the increase in female headed single parent households. Female gun ownership rates are much lower than male.

[petronius]

13. I would agree that it's always good if households that don't want guns don't have them,

as long as those that do want them can.

The fewer unwanted and unattended and irresponsibly-owned guns kicking around the better - transfer them to someone who will give them a good home...

[rl6214]

86. "A well regulated militia"

Learn what that means.

[TheCowsCameHome]

3. Good. That many less for Obama to confiscate.

He deserves a break now and then.

[RamboLiberal]

4. Keep dreaming

[TheCowsCameHome]

9. Tell that to the paranoids.

They're convinced it's gonna happen.

[rl6214]

87. Ya might want to check with him

before putting words in his mouth.

[jpak]

5. Wait a minute - we have been told gun ownership has been going up - and crime down

I guess it was a Big Fib

yup

:rofl:

[spin]

15. The NUMBER OF FIREARMS owned by civilians has been going up ...

Gun Owners Buy 14 Million Plus Guns In 2009 – More Than 21 of the Worlds Standing Armies
Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at 11:43 AM

Washington, DC --(AmmoLand.com)- Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) for the year reported 14,033,824 NICS Checks for the year of 2009, a 10 percent increase in gun purchases from the 12,709,023 reported in 2008.

So far that is roughly 14,000,000+ guns bought last year!
The total is probably more as many NICS background checks cover the purchase of more than one gun at a time by individuals.

To put it in perspective that is more guns than the combined active armies of the top 21 countries in the world.
http://www.ammoland.com/2010/01/13/gun-owners-buy-14-million-plus-guns-in-2009/

And the violent crime rate has been falling.

Violence declines in first half of 2010, FBI says
Dec. 20, 2010, 8:46AM

Reported violent crimes in the U.S. declined 6.2 percent in the first six months of this year, the FBI said.

In its preliminary report for January through June 2010, the Federal Bureau of Investigation said there was a 2.8 percent decline in property crimes compared with the first half of 2009.

Fueling the decline were a 10.7 percent drop in robberies and a 7.1 percent decrease in murders, the bureau said today. Rapes fell 6.2 percent and aggravated assaults declined 3.9 percent.

The report showed that previous crime decreases are continuing. In September, the FBI said violent crime in 2009 declined for the third year in a row. The violent crime rate last year fell 5.3 percent, and property crime declined 4.6 percent.
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/nation/7347297.html

These statistics have been presented numerous times in the Gungeon. Reading comprehension and memory are important skills.

[jpak]

19. So I guess the correlation is indeed spurious - someone has to *own* those guns to "fight crime"

and the new meme is "paranoid gun hoarders fight crime"...

yup

:rofl:

[X_Digger]

28. Who has made the claim linking the two here?

Please, find someone posting here who has ever said that the one follows the other.

[jpak]

59. Standard Gungeon Dodge - when someone challenges oft repeated Gungeon Dogma

the rejoinder is "find someone posting here that has ever said that."

The Big Lie is exposed - more guns are not responsible for the decline in crime.

and I'm gonna bookmark this thread and post it anytime someone spews the guns = lower crime bullshit

yup!

[X_Digger]

63. So you can't find an example? Thought so. n/t

[eqfan592]

72. Ummmmmmmm, I believe you have that completely backwards.

But that's OK. I don't imagine you'll let reality get in your way.

[spin]

75. What has been said many times here in the Gungeon is that more guns ...

does not equal more crime. If you want you can try to dispute this statement, but I will expect you to present some documentation or statistics to prove your point. I have presented documentation that shows that in 2009, firearms sales skyrocketed but the violent crime rate fell. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=118&topic_id=407099&mesg_id=407124

I have often said that many factors influence the violent crime rate and therefore it's impossible to say more guns caused this decrease. I personally suspect that more pro-active policing is largely responsible. The fact that a high percentage of homeowners are armed and now many gun owners legally carry concealed firearms coupled with new castle doctrine and "stand your ground" laws have caused criminals to change the nature of their crime rather than encounter an armed citizen. So while it is impossible to draw a direct correlation between the increase in the number of firearms and the reduction in crime it may well be an important factor.

[spin]

49. I don't own firearms to "fight crime" ...

because I am neither a police officer or a vigilante.

I own firearms primary for the enjoyment of informal target shooting and as a means of self defense for my family and myself. I am far from paranoid as violent crime does exist in our nation and while I realize that I (in my current situation) may never be a victim, I also understand that I could be wrong.

As far as your contention that ""paranoid gun hoarders fight crime", the fact is that you can only shoot two guns at one time and it takes one hell of an expert to accomplish that.

People "hoard" firearms because often they enjoy shooting a variety of firearms or they enjoy collecting them. Golfers do not limit the clubs in their bag to just one. If you have any understanding of golfing and handguns, you might consider a .22 caliber target pistol a putter and a .44 magnum revolver a driver and other firearms the clubs in between. Obtaining a collection of handguns makes sense if you enjoy the sport of target shooting but if you were only interested in self defense, I would recommend a .22 caliber target revolver or pistol and whatever handgun you choose for defense or carry. If self defense is the priority, it's better to be very proficient with a few weapons than somewhat proficient with a large number. The famous quote is. "Beware of the man who only owns one gun, because he probably knows how to use it."

[AndyTiedye]

32. The Majority do Not Own Any Guns, But Some People Own A Lot of Them

I wonder how much of that 14M was effectively speculation,
betting that Obama would impose restrictions and cause the
value of those guns to rise.

[spin]

44. Firearms are viewed as a good investment when Democrats rule both houses ...

and the Presidency.

Fortunately they didn't prove to be as good an investment as some people hoped because Obama and the Democrats in Congress were wise enough not to use their strength to push for draconian gun laws. Still, firearms are probably a better investment currently than real estate.

[jpak]

60. The GOP/NRA agenda sucks

yup

[spin]

78. Many Republicans support RKBA and in turn are supported by the NRA ...

but to the GOP's chagrin, the NRA supports Democrats who support RKBA. If the Republican party ever decided to push draconian guns laws and the majority of Democrats decided to support RKBA, the NRA would appear to be a wing of the Democratic Party.

[rl6214]

88. Aaaaahahahahahaha

What the hell are you responding to, things you make up in your mind?

[onehandle]

79. Right. Black President = Run On Guns. nt

[PavePusher]

82. Yep. No way in hell it had anything to do with his previous voting record and activities...

Throw that race card a little harder next time, you're not even getting it across the room...

[onehandle]

93. So you guys admit it was a run on guns.

And it's a smaller pool that are doing the running.

Let's call that pool, a teacup.

[PavePusher]

94. No-one claimed there wasn't a run on guns.

But it had nothing to do with race.

Take your bigotry, and insinuated accusations... elsewhere.

[Glassunion]

84. There you go again...

Give yourself a cookie...

Is there anything else you do not like that you put the racism sticker on, or do you just reserve it for guns?

[rl6214]

89. Democrat president with anti gun history=run on guns

Nothing to do with being black.

[guardian]

6. Is it really that fewer households have guns

or that fewer households are reporting having guns. I think the later is more likely.

[Starboard Tack]

34. And why would they do that in an anonymous survey?

[eqfan592]

73. Because a lot of people don't trust that "anonymous serveys" will remain anonymous. NT

[Starboard Tack]

81. You mean there are people who are that paranoid?

So sad!

[tularetom]

8. In 1977 - 76 million households in US

54% reported having guns in other words 41 million households reported having guns in the home.

In 2010 - 114 million US households of which 32.2% or 37 million households reported having guns.

At least 4 million fewer households reported having guns in 2010. What happened to all them guns?

I think somebody's bullshitting the pollsters.

[AtheistCrusader]

12. Lots of tragic canoeing accidents.

[Sherman A1]

16. And what of those injured when bowling?

If guns are outlawed then what do we do when we are invaded by space aliens in bowling shoes?

[HockeyMom]

10. What is the household divide?

My husband owns guns and goes shooting. I don't at all. What is the male/female ratio on this "household" ownership? Just because he is in favor of guns, doesn't mean that I as his wife supports it.

[spin]

18. However many women have been buying firearms recently ...

and I know several married women who own their own personal firearms.

More women buying guns for protection
POSTED: Saturday, February 21, 2009 - 11:22pm

LONGVIEW-Women in East Texas are learning what it takes to defend themselves.

When the economy is down, crime often goes up. And since the beginning of this year, gun sales have sky rocketed. And its not just men buying them.

Statistics show that 20 percent of women own a gun for self-protection. The problem is so many men and women today who own a gun, don't how how to properly use it.

But here in East Texas the number of women who don't know how to properly use a gun may go down drastically thanks to Alex Azar. Azar has been teaching a women's basic hand gun training course for the past five years in Longview. Saturday he taught a class of ten women all the basics. Some of the have never even held a gun before. He said the demand for the course has exploded in the past few months with more women than ever buying themselves handguns.
http://www.ketknbc.com/news/more-women-buying-guns-protection

Ladies Lock and Load: American Women Buying More Guns

Women are gaining on men in the purchase of firearms for hunting and personal defense, according to the NRA and others. Thousands of women are learning how to shoot—and going hunting together, reports Shushannah Walshe.

When Gina York married an avid hunter six years ago, she tried going out with him, but said it “just wasn’t fun,” because men “are so serious about getting the buck, getting the prize,” and she didn’t learn the skills she needed to enjoy herself. That all changed last year when she joined DIVA...WOW (Women Outdoors Worldwide), a shooting and hunting group for women only.

***snip***

Hunting isn’t just mostly for men anymore. Gina York is just one of the many women flooding the firearms market, including some picking up a hunting rifle for the first time. It may seem surprising to the non-gun-toting women in America, but women are packing heat in increased numbers—for personal defense as well as hunting. The market is focusing on the female demographic in a way it never has before. And it’s working: In addition to buying firearms, more and more women are purchasing accessories made specifically for them, and going out with other female hunters in record numbers.
http://www.thedailybeast.com/blogs-and-stories/2011-03-11/number-of-us-women-buying-guns-for-hunting-and-personal-defense-spikes-sharply/

[HockeyMom]

20. Yeah, in SOUTHERN States

Southern women are not Northern women, to put it bluntly. I am seeing this right now.

[AtheistCrusader]

25. My wife already collected the whole set.

North, ahead of the South as usual :shrug:

[HockeyMom]

27. NYC myself

Manhattan to be exact. See how many MEN in NYC are gun holders, or want to be.

[oneshooter]

29. Did you finally move from Florida? n/t

[HockeyMom]

58. Not yet

Hopefully, this summer.

[gejohnston]

30. Western women always have

After USAF sent me to the South, I knew I was not in Wyoming anymore.

[rrneck]

31. Did they try to feed you grits?

That's what we feed to yankees to make them think that's all we eat so they'll go home.

[PavePusher]

53. Grits are fine....

when you know how to dress 'em up right.

This does take some careful observation, as I know empirically...

[RSillsbee]

69. Grits are nature's perfect food

Butter and sugar = breakfast

Butter and salt = dinner

[rrneck]

83. Good on ya if you can stand ' em.

I'm a son of the south and I hate 'em. It costs me a lot of redneck cred.

Now country Ham...

[PavePusher]

90. I'm a native Northern New Englander by birth....

but have lived in so many different countries and states, I can eat almost anything once. Grits are amateur stuff....

So far only Lutefisk, haggis, and sardines truely horrify me.

[HockeyMom]

91. I've had haggis, tripe and sweetbreads ( Italian Grandma),

sardines (Dad English), and just about everyting in between. Don't like ANY of them, including grits, sausage and biscuit gravy, ham hocks, fried pork rind, etc., etc. I will TRY anything ONCE. Bascially, though, I am probably a closet veggie person, and have been so since a child. Give me a nice raw, crisp SALAD and I am in heaven.

[spin]

41. Not necessarily, northern women also are buying guns, Watch this video ...

which is from Pittsburgh, Pa.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/us/2008/03/09/frey.pa.women.guns.wtae

[PavePusher]

52. The difference between North and South is not as great as you insinuate.

I think you are falling into stereotyping.

[HockeyMom]

21. Yeah, in SOUTHERN States

Southern women are not Northern women, to put it bluntly. I am seeing this right now.

[AndyTiedye]

33. Isn't Everybody Expected to Have a Gun in Texas?

[RSillsbee]

39. How's that buying a machine gun at wal mart thing working out for you? NT

[slackmaster]

66. ZING!

:rofl:

[HockeyMom]

92. Not good

They don't like my NORTHERN ID.

[gejohnston]

95. no, it is called violate Gun Control Act of 1968

lose their FFL and clerk going to federal prison if they like your non Florida ID.

[DonP]

11. Consider the source - The Violence Policy Center?

It must be true. They only sold 14.2 million new guns last year, a record number for the 3rd year in a row. And a "mere" 10 million citizens have concealed carry permits.

I'm sure an organization affiliated with the Brady bunch and funded by the Joyce Foundation, who also funds the U of C research center, would have no reason to downplay the number of households owning firearms.

[jpak]

14. boo effin' hoo

Maybe the NRA talking points are bogus

ya think?

:D

[ProgressiveProfessor]

22. VPC = No integrity yup yup

[jpak]

23. NRA = no integrity at all

yup yup

[spin]

47. The Brady Campaign and the VPC are political organiztions...

with a dedicated mission of changing gun laws in the United States. They often publish propaganda to push their agenda as does the NRA and its political wing the NRA-ILA.

However, the NRA also trains law enforcement as well as hunters and civilians in proper procedures and gun safety. The hunter safety programs and the child safety programs alone have significantly reduced the number of tragic accidents in our nation.

I hate to say it, but I suspect that the Brady Campaign and the VPC hope for tragedies to occur to increase their membership and donations. At any rate, it is obvious that they offer no gun safety or training programs.

So I will disagree with you that the NRA has no integrity at all. I will agree that much of the literature I receive from the NRA is a blatant attempt get me to donate money to some unrealistic fear of draconian gun laws that are proposed but have little chance of passing in today's environment. Consequently they end up in the trash.

[jpak]

61. NRA = GOP = political organizations = suckage = yup

yup

[spin]

71. If your equation was correct, the NRA would not support any Democrats ...

NRA Endorses Candidates on Both Sides, Frustrating GOP
By: CNN's Dugald McConnell and Brian Todd
October 8th, 2010

Fairfax, VA (CNN) - Republicans are pressing their supporters to pull out the stops in the effort to retake the House in November's elections, but one of their frequent allies – the National Rifle Association – is still endorsing candidates in either party.

The gun-rights group has endorsed over 200 Republican candidates for Congress, but it has also endorsed 64 Democrats – including a number of incumbents who Republicans believe may be vulnerable, like Chet Edwards in Texas, Stephanie Herseth Sandlin in South Dakota, and Tom Perriello in Virginia.

***snip***

A spokesman for the NRA explained that the organization uses only the issue of gun-owners rights to endorse candidates, regardless of party. And if two opposing candidates earn the same rating, the association generally favors the incumbent.

***snip***

According to the Center for Responsive Politics, the group has donated $169,500 to Democratic and $350,550 to Republican Congressional campaigns this cycle. Of the ten candidates who got the most, four are Democrats.
http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/10/08/nra-endorses-candidates-on-both-sides-frustrating-gop/

I notice that your simplistic reply also failed to address my point that the NRA is an organization is far more than a political organization which is all the Brady Campaign and the VPC are.

[AndyTiedye]

35. They Have Been Running the Same Survey Since the 70s

If they were going to "fix" the results, why wait 40 years?

[Starboard Tack]

36. How many of the 10 million are female?

[S_B_Jackson]

46. Are you saying that Josh Sugarman would lie?!?

I'm shocked. SHOCKED.

Next you're going to tell me that he got an FFL on the downlow. ;-)

[Smokewagon]

17. If the VPC

Tells its lies enough, then someone might believe them. I said might. No wonder they're broke.

[jpak]

24. You're right - only the NRA can create The Big Lie

yup

[gejohnston]

51. Seen your favorite Republican Paul Helmke tell some serious whoopers

[lawodevolution]

26. What they didnt tell you us what percentage of people refused to answer the question

Most gun owners will refuse to answer.

There are probably more like 60% of households with a gun

[Starboard Tack]

37. Maybe in Montana, Alaska and Wyoming and a handful of other states

where it makes sense to own one. Why wouldn't people own guns in rural states?

[S_B_Jackson]

48. A couple of years ago, my brother's wife agreed to a phone poll

and one of the questions asked "Do you have a fiream in your home?"

S-I-L promptly answers, "Do we have guns? Heavens, no!"
She answered a few other questions and then the normal demographics info crap at the end to complete the survey.

As soon as she got off the phone, my brother - a bit sheepishly - informed her, "Well actually, honey.........we have 3. I've got the .300 Savage, the Remington 12-gauge, and a pistol. I've had 2 of the 3 the entire time they've been married."

They've been married 20 years and she had no clue. :rofl:

At first she was angry, until he pointed out, that the rifle and shotgun had been standing in soft cases in the bedroom closet right in plain sight....then the rat bastard pointed at me and told her that I "forced" the pistol on him when we had volunteered in New Orleans following Katrina, and that I wouldn't let him give it back to me when he returned. Come to think of it, I still owe him for that......

[lawodevolution]

38. Here is the formula to correct the survey results

X= true fraction of households with gun
Z = true fraction of households without guns
R = fraction of gun owners who refuse to answer
S = fraction of gun owners who answer no
Y= fraction of households that reply with yes

I came up with this so check it if you can:
Y = (1 - (Z + S*X + R*X)) / (1-R*X)

Example:  100 people are asked if they own guns.  50 own guns and 50% who own guns refuse to answer.  None lie.  50% don't have a gun.
Y = (1- (.5 + 0 + .5*.5))/(1-.5*.5)
Y = (.25)/(.75) = 1/3

32.3 = (1-((1-X) + S*X + R*X))/(1-R*X)

Now all we have to do is drop a poll in a gun site to get S and R
This isn't perfect but it's better than what VPC has.

[lawodevolution]

77. Preliminary corrected result is 74% of households have guns based on a refusal rate of .64 and "no"

Answer rate of 13%

Interesting how 74-32 = 42 which is about the percent of samples that did not correctly answer the gun part of the survey.

I'm going to wait for more data from my surveys

[X_Digger]

42. More people refused to answer this year than any other- 3.6% (compared to 1.1% in 2008)

The question as worded is kind of vague- "237. Do you happen to have in your home (or garage) any guns or
revolvers?"

You can google 'GSS' and then roll your own query. http://sda.berkeley.edu/cgi-bin/hsda?harcsda+gss10

I find it interesting how the raw numbers were rolled up. If you query to include all codes, you get..

Allocation of cases (unweighted)
Valid cases 33,154
Cases with invalid codes on
row or column variable 21,933
Total cases 55,087

So in 40% of the cases, they weren't able to mark 'yes' or 'no'.

[lawodevolution]

43. Purhaps that 40% is another form of refusal to answer

[SecularMotion]

45. Thanks for the link - lots of interesting data

988. Please tell me whether you agree or disagree with the
following statement: "There should be more legal restrictions on
handguns in our society."

70.6% AGREE
29.4% DISAGREE

1113. In most states a gun owner may legally sell his or her gun
without proof that the buyer has passed a criminal history
check. How strongly do you favor or oppose a law that required
private gun sales to be subject to the same background check
requirements as sales by licensed dealers? Do you...

62.0% Strongly favor
17.7% Favor

1116. As a result of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, do you think
that gun control laws should be stricter, making it harder for
people to purchase firearms or that gun control laws should be
less strict, making it easier for people to purchase firearms?

81.9% Should be stricter
18.1% Should be less strict

1117. Currently under federal law, very high power, 50-caliber
rifles that can penetrate armor from a mile away are available
to people on the same basis as standard hunting rifles. Should
such very high power rifles be 1) restricted only to the police
and military, or 2) available to civilians like standard hunting
rifles as they are at present?

86.0% Restricted to the police and military
14.0% Available to civilians like other hunting rifles

[DonP]

62. No skewing to those questions Ha!

That's as bad as any push poll I've ever seen.

[X_Digger]

64. Notice the dates for those questions.. 1984, 2006, 2002

And again, IAP (Inappropriate) is the predominant answer.

[SecularMotion]

65. All the data is from the 2004 Topical Module: Guns & 2006 Topical Module:Gun Control

[X_Digger]

68. Ahh, I had the window open with search:guns.

There are a couple of questions that are similar, but from different years.

I'd love to see their logic tree for the IAP answers. ie, what circumstances or previous answers led them to not ask a particular question. For many of these questions, IAP outnumbers either the positive or the negative.

[spin]

50. My daughter worked as a census taker and mentioned that a number of people ....

were very hesitant to answer ANY questions because they distrusted the government so much.

[slackmaster]

67. I believe I'd answer, but flat-out lie and say I have no firearms

It's not anyone's business but mine.

[The Doctor.]

54. And most of them Teabaggers... we should balance that out.

Some more.

[PavePusher]

55. Naw, you should drop your predjudiced stereotypes....

and get out of your comfort zone. Some more.

[The Doctor.]

56. Bwhaaahahahaaaa!

Didn't understand my meaning.

You should get to know me. Some more.

[PavePusher]

57. Ah, O.K., I re-read it with that in mind. Oops, mea culpa.

My apology for the incorrect assumption and following accusation.

[The Doctor.]

70. No biggie. It was an odd juxtaposition.

I was just playing on the assumption by teabagger types that 'tree-hugging pansy-pinko bleeding heart fascist/socialist (???) enviro-nazi (?!?) commie-liberals' :wtf: don't know one end of a gun from the other. In fact, as both of us are apparently aware, there are plenty of armed liberals who responsibly exercise their right to be armed.

I do believe that we should 'balance things out some more', and I understand the confusion as it was a somewhat complicated juxtaposition of the teabagger/wingnut attitude in an attempt to present the notion that we could have 100x more guns and still be perceived as unarmed.

If you read my posts on this particular subject, allow me to apologize in advance for my twisted sense of irony.

[PavePusher]

74. No worries, when I made my goof I was trying to bake apple pies, prepare dinner, do laundry...

and write dumb internet comments all at once.

Fortunately, I only lost the train vis-a-vis the internet....

[ileus]

76. Why would the violence policy center do a study on firearms?

[onehandle]

80. Most people are not paranoid. A minority are. nt

[X_Digger]

85. So owning a gun is paranoid now?

Gee, I see why you post so many times without substance.. when you do.. boy, you sure stick your foot down your throat. *snort*