4 ms·

30% of American adults own a gun and 43% live in a gun household [1] and only about 40% of Americans bother to vote in presidential elections. Gun owners are mo

30% of American adults own a gun and 43% live in a gun household [1] and only about 40% of Americans bother to vote in presidential elections. Gun owners are more political than non-owners [2] so it's not unlikely that half of all voters or more are gun owners or live in gun households. That's a significant political force. Vegans, in contrast, make up around 0.4-3% of Americans depending on the poll [3]. [1] https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own... [2] https://today.ku.edu/2018/08/21/gun-owners-are-more-active-political-participation-study-finds https://today.ku.edu/2018/08/21/gun-owners-are-more-active-p... [3] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vegetarianism_by_country

paulie_a 6y ago
I was being absurd in my comparison to veganism But 70 percent of Americans do not own a gun. Am I being obtuse to say a minority of Americans own a gun? Living in a household is completely irrelevant.
- rayiner 6y ago
  70% of Americans are white but we still care about the minority vote. (Living in a gun-owning household is not irrelevant. For the reasons people buy guns—hunting, self-defense, etc., you don’t need everyone to have a gun in their own name.)
  - paulie_a 6y ago
    So was I incorrect in my statementt that a minority of Americans own a gun. And yes it is irrelevant. I do not control, perhaps do not even know what a roommate owns and vice versa. And that only pushed the needle up a but, to still being in the minority. You mention minorities? Gun owners are a minority
    - motorcycleman9 6y ago
      You were not incorrect to say they are a minority. Nobody factually disputed you on this detail. However, other folks added relevant details to show the prevalence of fun ownership and to give context to the political influence of gun owners.
      - paulie_a 6y ago
        So a minority of a minority when it comes to actual voting power. Not incorrect? Yes that was directly disputed btw. Gun ownership and gun influence in the US is vastly overstated.
    - rayiner 6y ago
      > I do not control, perhaps do not even know what a roommate owns and vice versa. Households with "roommates" are a small minority of all households. About 40 million of 250 million adults live in a household with other people that they're not related to or romantically involved with. The vast majority of households that aren't individuals living alone are are families or unmarried couples. In those contexts, it would be typical for one member of the household to own the firearms as a legal matter, but others might use it or rely on it. For example, Breonna Taylor was living with her boyfriend, who was licensed to own a firearm. If the couple bought a gun for self-defense, it seems fair to attribute the gun to the whole household, not just the individual who purchased it. Or in another example, a parent might purchase a firearm that other adult family members in the household use for hunting or target practice. You're also forgetting about voting. Gun owners are much more likely to be older, married, and live outside the city. (Many people who don't own a gun when they're young and living in the city purchase one when they move out to the 'burbs and start af family!) The same groups of people are also more likely to vote.
- AdrianB1 6y ago
  If you have a gun owner in a household (a traditional family with kids) everyone that have voting rights will vote pro guns, that is 2-3-4 times that minority of owners translating in a majority of voters. In my case if I would own a gun there would be 7 voters supporting it. Quite a multiplier.
  - deleted 6y ago
    [deleted]

paulie_a 6y ago

I was being absurd in my comparison to veganism But 70 percent of Americans do not own a gun. Am I being obtuse to say a minority of Americans own a gun? Living in a household is completely irrelevant.

rayiner 6y ago
70% of Americans are white but we still care about the minority vote. (Living in a gun-owning household is not irrelevant. For the reasons people buy guns—hunting, self-defense, etc., you don’t need everyone to have a gun in their own name.)
- paulie_a 6y ago
  So was I incorrect in my statementt that a minority of Americans own a gun. And yes it is irrelevant. I do not control, perhaps do not even know what a roommate owns and vice versa. And that only pushed the needle up a but, to still being in the minority. You mention minorities? Gun owners are a minority
  - motorcycleman9 6y ago
    You were not incorrect to say they are a minority. Nobody factually disputed you on this detail. However, other folks added relevant details to show the prevalence of fun ownership and to give context to the political influence of gun owners.
    - paulie_a 6y ago
      So a minority of a minority when it comes to actual voting power. Not incorrect? Yes that was directly disputed btw. Gun ownership and gun influence in the US is vastly overstated.
  - rayiner 6y ago
    > I do not control, perhaps do not even know what a roommate owns and vice versa. Households with "roommates" are a small minority of all households. About 40 million of 250 million adults live in a household with other people that they're not related to or romantically involved with. The vast majority of households that aren't individuals living alone are are families or unmarried couples. In those contexts, it would be typical for one member of the household to own the firearms as a legal matter, but others might use it or rely on it. For example, Breonna Taylor was living with her boyfriend, who was licensed to own a firearm. If the couple bought a gun for self-defense, it seems fair to attribute the gun to the whole household, not just the individual who purchased it. Or in another example, a parent might purchase a firearm that other adult family members in the household use for hunting or target practice. You're also forgetting about voting. Gun owners are much more likely to be older, married, and live outside the city. (Many people who don't own a gun when they're young and living in the city purchase one when they move out to the 'burbs and start af family!) The same groups of people are also more likely to vote.
AdrianB1 6y ago
If you have a gun owner in a household (a traditional family with kids) everyone that have voting rights will vote pro guns, that is 2-3-4 times that minority of owners translating in a majority of voters. In my case if I would own a gun there would be 7 voters supporting it. Quite a multiplier.
- deleted 6y ago
  [deleted]