The average gun owner now owns 8 guns — double what it used to be

[billh58]

There are nearly twice as many guns in the average gun-owning household today as there were 20 years ago, according to new Wonkblog estimates based data from surveys and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. In 2013, there were an estimated 8.1 firearms in the typical gun-owning household, according to these data. In 1994, the average gun-owning household owned 4.2 guns.

These numbers comport with what survey research has shown for several years now: the share of gun-owning households has been declining over the past 20 years and possibly more, according to numbers from Gallup and the General Social Survey. On the other hand, domestic firearm production and imports of firearms have risen sharply, particularly in recent years. If those numbers are correct, it follows that increasing gun purchases are being driven primarily by existing owners stocking up rather than first-time buyers.

Plenty has been written about the decline in overall gun ownership rates. Many of these stories are based on the General Social Survey's data, which shows household ownership rates falling from over 50 percent in the 1970s to around 32 percent today. Some gun rights advocates dispute these numbers, preferring to use Gallup's household ownership rates instead, which have remained essentially flat over the same period.

-Snip-

But in recent years, it seems many gun owners have seen fit to expand their toolboxes. There are probably a number of factors driving this: fear-stoking by some gun rights groups in the wake of mass shootings can lead to surges in gun-buying from existing owners concerned the government could take their guns away. The rising popularity of "prepper" groups, who stock up on food and firearms in preparation for a variety of coming apocalypses, may also be playing a role.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2015/10/21/the-average-gun-owner-now-owns-8-guns-double-what-it-used-to-be/

The ALEC/NRA/ILA knuckle dragging bunch argues loudly and continuously that gun ownership is on the rise, and that guns are more popular than ever. Bullshit! Only a dwindling bunch of middle-aged, married/divorced, right-wing, white men are hoarding guns for the coming race war and a long sought war against the US Government.

That the average gun-owning household has 8 guns is not surprising, nor is it in and of itself alarming -- as long as they keep the damn things at home. When these same deluded jackasses bring their lethal weapons into the public venue, however, the Second Amendment no longer applies, and the right of the public to be safe from gun violence prevails.

Support a gun control organization of your choice today, and help to rid our neighborhoods and streets of guns and gun violence.

[TheCowsCameHome]

1. So many people with small fingers.

Maybe Marco was on to something.

[billh58]

3. LOL!

Too true...

[guillaumeb]

2. Recommended. I hope that you are wearing a flame resistant suit.

The gun crowd should be speaking soon to remind you that they have a right to carry their security blankets wherever they wish.

[billh58]

4. I'm not concerned about

what right-wing gun nuts think. They should attend a Trump rally and let their frustrations flow freely.

[guillaumeb]

5. Many of the gun crowd are Democrats.

Just Democrats with a quite different view of what the Second Amendment deals with.

[billh58]

6. I have my doubts

about the "Democrat" label many of them hide behind. There are Democrats, and then there are Republicrats. I have been told by several that they are "moderate" Democrats.

As far as the Second Amendment interpretation, anyone -- Democrat or Republican -- who sincerely believes that they have a "right" to carry a deadly weapon in public for no reason other than a perceived threat for which they may need to protect themselves, is seriously anti-social and has paranoia issues.

ETA: The political demographics of gun owners is 49% Republican, and 22% Democrat.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/the-demographics-and-politics-of-gun-owning-households/

[HassleCat]

7. Probably correct

I have five handguns, two rifles, and a shotgun, so I am exactly on the average. I bought thee firearms years ago, and have had no yearning to buy more in recent years. Of course, I don't believe the president wants to confiscate my guns just because I'm white, so I may not be typical. Or maybe I am typical of the average gun owner. The attention goes to the crazies and their rhetoric, not to mention their open carry stunts and defiant rallies.

[randr]

8. I just wish they would all choose to be buried

with their cold dead fingers around all their guns.

[flamin lib]

9. The number of guns isn't the only thing changing, but the type of gun and reason for owning it.

I personally have about 8 guns. All but one is a historic relic. Five designed prior to 1898, two designed in the 1920s, one designed in 1893 and one modern shotgun for bird hunting. I purchased one relic for each of my grandchildren who, when they turn 21, will inherit these pieces of military history (assuming they are willing to purchase a suitable gunsafe and bolt it to the wall). I go for two years or more without laying eyes, much less hands, on one of them. I have not made a purchase in six years.

What bothers me is that the new buying profile is semi auto current military style weaponry capable of firing several hundred rounds a minute relatively accurately. These buyers are not just collectors or hunters, they believe they NEED these things to be safe. Safe from who? Safe from people with guns of course. There seems to be no thought for safety for the vast majority of these buyers as given testimony by the hundreds of toddlers shooting themselves and others with mommy and daddy's guns.

The new buyer is preparing for urban warfare. The guns I own are 55 inches long with barrel lengths of 40 plus inches (add another 22 inches if the antique bayonet if fixed--makes a good tent pole in a pinch). A wheelchair friendly hallway is less than 40 inches wide. I literally cannot make a 180 degree turn in a wheelchair friendly hall way without bringing these things to a vertical position. An AR-15 with a 20 inch barrel can be carried at the ready in firing position and make that 180 degree maneuver in a non wheelchair friendly hallway. At best my relics can fire 5-6 rounds a minute and can be reloaded in 2 minutes if you aren't under stress. An AR is capable for 700/minute and being reloaded in less than a second.

Like BillH I support strong gun control and want to decrease the number and availability of modern military style weaponry. This shit has just gotten nuts.

[HDSam]

10. The AR

is not capable of 700 rounds per minute, the M4 and M16 are what you're thinking of. None of them can be reloaded in less than a second (if by reloading you mean releasing the empty magazine and replacing it with a full one then pressing the bolt carrier release) even by the likes of me who carried and qualified with those rifles for twenty years.

I suggest if you're going to try and make a point , at least get the terminology correct. It makes your point stronger.

[Scuba]

11. I have three shotguns, three rifles and a handgun, and staunchly argue for MORE gun control.

We need universal background checks, and limits on firepower much like how we limit ownership of fully-automatic firearms.