Has Gun Ownership in American Homes Really Decreased This Dramatically?

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff


OK

so you were never a member of the armed forces? is this correct?

Yes, I was.
You made the statement that I have told people here that I traveled abroad while in.
You are making stuff up. The mistake is that you proposed false information.

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff
Im not making anything up but I could be mistaken, if this is the case Im not the only member who has made this mistake.

The mistake is again, you made things up.

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff
Why would I waste time researching anything of yours? I dont find anything you say to be intelligent or thought provoking, if you would like me to know your opinion how about you just share it.

So, it is fine to attack with lie based information.
Seems to be your current operating procedure.

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff
Drop the paranoia for a minute and indulge me, how many guns do you personally own?

Not enough and none of your business. Why do you think it matters.

Originally posted by IkNOwSTuff
of all your buddies who also own guns on average how many do you think each of them own?

Not my part to talk about what they own. That really has nothing to do with this.

Lest there be any misunderstandings, all members of ATS are welcome to comment on any topic, provided they do so in accordance with the AboveTopSecret.com Terms And Conditions Of Use.

One of those terms is relevant content (15f), and our personal resumes are not the topic of this thread. Off-topic comments (including bickering over who is who) are subject to removal, so let's please stick with the topic itself, and avoid the need for that.

If anyone has any questions or comments about this, please send me a private message.

Thanks.

The numbers of total guns sales, along with NRA membership, Ammo shortages and backlogs of ammunition, and supplies and Concealed weapons permits show that this article is false.

No one in the right mind these days is going to divulge personal information to someone on a phone.


I wonder how many people answered with "They are at the bottom of a lake, due to a boating accident".

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


You raise an interesting point in noting the rural to urban migration of people over the recent decades. I hadn't even thought about that but it could, depending on how a survey is conducted, indicate a drop in firearms ownership I suppose. It would be creative and dishonest in spirit for how a survey would need to be handled for that outcome (Unless specifically looking at Urban ownership and some specific urban areas at that) but I can see how it could be reached with that in mind.

I'm just guessing and thinking over what I've read without specific sources here but I'm guessing the average gun owner probably has 1-3 guns. That's everyone from the Grandma types with an old .38 revolver tucked away for defense in a shoe box, to the average self defense owner in a middle class budget that doesn't allow for a big collection ...to that smaller % who really do make some national guard armories look small. lol...

I've heard estimates and figures (not least of which, the Cambridge study and book cited in my post above) which estimate 80-100 million actual warm bodies who own a gun in a legal way. That sounds about right in my own thinking. Removing children and the outright disqualified...I'd say that's a fair % of the population who is of age and able to.

Another thing is that children are staying at home with their parents longer so dad's guns are now protecting lets say 5 adult people instead of 2 and since the gun works and all the adults in the house know where they're stored theres no point buying more for home defense and when asked about if they own a gun they say no since they consider it dad's gun

The problem is that getting proper data is impossible so its based upon random samples of the population which may be biased one way or the other on the questions asked and upon a load of other factors such as holding the questioning outside a NRA meeting or a Mom's against guns meeting etc and not just forgetting peoples basic loathing of telling people what they own incase its stolen from them

Seriously folks. No more bickering. Post bans next.

reply to post by macman

Its a fact that the average gun owner has between 3-5 firearms with a large percentage owning more than that.
So you take the total population of the USA (313 million) and the total amount of guns ( we will up the figure and just say 300 million for simplicity) now of those 313 million people we have 20% under 15 which leaves us with 250 million people. so 300 million guns divided by 250 million people gives us roughly 1.25 guns per adult in the USA as an average. Now consider that the average gun owner owns 4 guns, that gives us 1 gun owner per 5 American adults or roughly 20% of the population, You are a minority simple childrens maths would tell you this is true (the percentage could be a few points off but not by much).
Now the OP itself is stating that in the past 40 years the total percentage of gun owners has gone down, take the rising cost of firearms, people having less disposable income, people moving from rural areas to urban areas and also people wanting to distance themselves from guns, whether by propaganda or a "consciousness" shift I wont speculate and the article is obviously correct. There may be more people with guns but as a percentage of the population it is most likely down on what it was 40 years ago.

The reason for the upsurge in sales I believe is due largely to gun lovers thinking they will be taken off the market and hoarding them.

reply to post by camaro68ss

No no, its all true.

You win NY Times.

Since gun sales are down and fewer people want guns, we wont be needing all those anti-gun laws after all.

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


I think that if you walked into Compton or the South side of Chicago as a pollster you would find the "No one owns guns around here" would be the statement you would hear.

However, actions speak louder than words. We read about it in the paper every day.

To be truthful, I think that this poll is a load of horse pucky meant to further a agenda.

Polls are polls...they are scewed and can be manipulated. Statistics are on firmer ground...not by much though.

reply to post by TDawgRex


I totally agree polls are normally BS, Ive been involved with a company that conducted them and an internal phone survey revealed people BS about 80% of the time in anonymous surveys.

But I dont doubt what this one is saying, common sense and simple mathematics tells you that the percentage of American gun owners has gone down and will most likely continue to go down.

At the time of the revolutionary war it was close to 100% I imagine ever since the civil war it would have been steadily declining.

I dont understand why gun owners find this so scary or offensive

Originally posted by Majic
Seriously folks. No more bickering. Post bans next.

Look what you guys did to that poor little pony, I dont think he is playing, he looks mad! How dare you!!

@iknowstuff- how is it a fact thag the average gun owner has 3-5 guns? Especially seeing how there is now actual reliable stats to make such a statement, this is of course not to mention that you seem to know little about us Americans, or what we would or would not have.

So where did these numbers come from? As I know a lot of gun owners, and I know very few that have 3-5, most have 2 max, basically a good hunting rifle and a reliable pistol.

How were we offended by your asserting that which you dont know? Seems more likely some were put off by your ignorance on aj issue your attempting to claim a clear understanding of.

Just saying ....if the shoe fits and all that jazz.

reply to post by IkNOwSTuff


I'm not saying this to provoke.

But try putting yourself in our shoes. If you partook in certain substances, would you admit such to a total starnger?

I think that a lot of people just out and out lied.

Like it was any of the pollsters business anyways.

Originally posted by TDawgRex

Has Gun Ownership in American Homes Really Decreased This Dramatically?

www.theblaze.com

As the debate over gun rights continues in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, there’s some interesting — and dueling — research emerging about Americans and firearms. According to a report in the New York Times, gun ownership in U.S. homes has allegedly declined dramatically over the past four decades.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Maybe on one block of some area of New York where there are no homes and no families.

Originally posted by TDawgRex
reply to post by IkNOwSTuff

 

I'm not saying this to provoke.

But try putting yourself in our shoes. If you partook in certain substances, would you admit such to a total starnger?

I think that a lot of people just out and out lied.

Like it was any of the pollsters business anyways.

edit on 11-3-2013 by TDawgRex because: spelling

In a phone survey, sure why not. Its not admissible as court evidence LOL

I have no idea what the GSS is or who they represent so Im not sure which way the figures were skewed, occasionally the group who funded/conducted the surveys interests are actually met by the genuine results.

You all say Im stretching the truth or ignoring data but Im curious, other than "a feeling its lies" or anecdotal evidence like 3 people you know who became first time gun buyers what evidence do you have to suggest this survey is false?
To me its just common sense, even working with say 60% of gun owners having 2 guns there millions and millions of you who own in excess of 5. Ive spoken to people on this forum who claim to own 18!!!!!
There is no way you can play with the facts and claim gun owners are not a minority

why is it so hard to believe that gun ownership rates have dropped given the economy, gun prices, people moving away from rural areas and also what most of you claim to be a propaganda campaign to demonise guns?
If what most of you all say is true that last one alone should account for a significant drop in ownership rates