Gun Control & RKBA
In reply to the discussion: Pew Research Admits Flaw in Poll Used to Attack Strong Gun Control Laws [View all]spin
(17,493 posts)Last edited Mon Dec 22, 2014, 08:53 PM - Edit history (1)
home or garage there was no large organized movement to ban and confiscate firearms. The National Council to Control Handguns (NCCH) was founded in 1974, changed its name to Handgun Control Inc. in 1980 and finally the Brady Campaign to to Prevent Gun Violence in 2001.
In 1973 few people thought that our elected officials would ever pass laws that would ban and confiscate firearms so they had little worry about honestly answering a question about gun ownership.
Today some gun control advocates do wish to eventually pass legislation that would make our gun laws like those in Great Britain. That would involve banning and confiscating many common firearms. In order to confiscate firearms it would help to have a list of gun owners. Consequently people today are less likely to be honest to a surveyor asking if they own firearms as they fear this information might be passed on to the authorities. Of course some people like me will lie just on basic principles. I realize that the government could quickly come up with a fairly accurate list of gun owners if it wished to as they it has some amazing abilities to collect data on everybody.
If someone calls me or knocks on my door and asks if I own firearms, I will just lie and tell them that I don't. In the first place it's none of their damn business and secondly they can't throw me in jail because I didn't tell them the truth. (In passing, if they knock on my door, I will be telling them that I don't own any guns while I have a loaded .38 cal snub nosed revolver in my pants pocket.)
One time a few years ago I decided to ask gun owners to see just how many would be willing to tell a stranger they owned firearms if asked as part of a survey. (I know quite a few gun owners since I live in Florida and enjoy shooting at pistol ranges.) I didn't find one gun owner who said he would reply honestly to that question. I probably asked at least 30 people. Try it yourself and see what happens.
I do know that the firearms industry has manufactured and sold millions and millions of firearms since 1973. I honestly don't think that gun ownership has dropped from 49% but more likely has increased to 60% or higher.