5 ms·

Not really. Texas is about to become a 2A sanctuary, Utah, Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, Florida are close to passing constitutional carry. Kansas wants to expand con

Not really. Texas is about to become a 2A sanctuary, Utah, Iowa, Texas, Tennessee, Florida are close to passing constitutional carry. Kansas wants to expand concealed carry to 18-20 year olds. Gun sales are at record highs, etc etc.

JKCalhoun 6y ago
The numbers suggest that a minority of gun owners are buying more and more guns, not that we are seeing more and more gun owners as a percentage — just gun hoarding.
- anewaccount2021 6y ago
  No. Five million gun purchase background checks were done last year for new gun owners. https://www.nssf.org/first-time-gun-buyers-grow-to-nearly-5-million-in-2020/ https://www.nssf.org/first-time-gun-buyers-grow-to-nearly-5-... At no time in history have more Americans owned guns per-capita
- Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
  Not according to industry surveys such as data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) which reported that 40% of new guns sold in 2020 went to first time buyers, a total of 5 million new gun owners. There's also reason to believe that in an increasingly anti-gun climate, gun owners are lying on traditional gun ownership surveys. On these studies, there's always a significant portion of respondents who refuse to answer the question. I think these are silent gun owners. When democrats like Beto are calling for gun confiscation, would you want to make yourself known as a gun owner?
  - HideousKojima 6y ago
    I realize this is anecdata, but I can confirm that my wife has personally lied on a survey about gun ownership. I've never been part of a survey that asked, but would definitely lie if I was.
    - Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
      It should also be noted that phone surveys bias women. How many husbands hide their guns from their wife? I know my dad did.
  - dragonwriter 6y ago
    Um, that statistic you just quoted says that the majority of new guns sold were to existing gun owners, so it's perfectly consistent with the thesis you are using it to contradict (and that's even before considering how many of those first-time buyers aren't first-time owners, but people raised in gun-owning families making their first independent purchase.) The long term trend in gun ownership (both individually and by households) has been down for a long time (different data sources have different exact numbers, but the trend is consistent across them.) The increase over time in guns per capita is the smaller share of gun owning households getting more guns each: more women in those households getting guns, more guns per adult owner, and kids in gun families getting real firearms younger.
    - Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
      It doesn't matter if 40% of new sales went to new gun owners or 4%. If people who were not gun owners are buying guns, then the % of people who owns guns is increased. >The long term trend in gun ownership (both individually and by households) has been down for a long time (different data sources have different exact numbers, but the trend is consistent across them.) Or, the number of people willing to admit owning a gun has been on the decline in a gun-hostile climate.
      - extra88 6y ago
        No, because the data can’t address how many gun owners gave up their guns (willingly or not) in the time period. Or how many gun owners died for that matter. If first-time buyers made up 40% of sales, a net increase in gun ownership is likely. If it’s much lower, maybe not.
      - dragonwriter 6y ago
        > If people who were not gun owners are buying guns, then the % of people who owns guns is increased. That's not true. Because people who own guns can stop being gun owners, too, both through giving up gun ownership—volintarily or not—and death. There's always some share of gun purchases that go to new gun owners, but the trend in gun ownership for at least 50 years has been: 1. Smaller number of households with guns. 2. Smaller number of individual adults with guns (though not by as much as #1, as the average number of adult gun owners per gun owning household has gone up.) 3. Larger number of guns per gun owning household. 4. Larger number of guns per gun owner (though not by as much as #3, for pretty similar reasons as the relationship between #2 and #1.) Gun ownership is becoming a narrower subculture, and within families within that subculture gun ownership is becoming more universal, and to involve more guns per owner. Guns have become the “bling” of a shrinking subculture.
jrgaston 6y ago
Another reason I've never regretted leaving Texas.
- dQw4w9WgXcQ 6y ago
  Well you must be onto something, because Californians are leaving for Texas in record numbers.
- SeanBoocock 6y ago
  Like every other state, there is a stark divide in the culture and politics of the major metropolitan areas and everywhere else. San Francisco vs parts of rural Northern California are an even starker example of that than what you would see between Austin or San Antonio and rural Texas.
paulie_a 6y ago
Gun owners are a minority in this country. The average american doesnt own one, let alone ten. The minority just is lou.d as hell. The NRA used to be a reasonable organization with a reasonable mission. Then it went batshit crazy
- claytongulick 6y ago
  Do you have a source for this? It was my understanding that the majority of American households owned at least one firearm. Edit: I found this [1], but the numbers seem a bit questionable. Even if you take them at face value, 44% doesn't seem to qualify as a vocal minority. https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own...
  - paulie_a 6y ago
    Household is different than person Just because someones father has a gun doesnt make the kid a gunowner or say anything about their attitude towards 2A
    - zepto 6y ago
      Sure, so let’s stop counting those people as though they are against gun ownership.
      - paulie_a 6y ago
        Im just saying that they are automatically being included as pro gun whereas the measurement should be individual gun ownership. Not the household stat which is obviously used to make it look more impressive. And remember it's not binary, a lot of people are indifferent and many want more gun restrictions and some want less Back to my original point is the average american does not own a gun
        zepto 6y ago
        > the average American does not own a gun Remember it’s not binary - the average American owns approximately 40% of a gun.

JKCalhoun 6y ago

The numbers suggest that a minority of gun owners are buying more and more guns, not that we are seeing more and more gun owners as a percentage — just gun hoarding.

anewaccount2021 6y ago
No. Five million gun purchase background checks were done last year for new gun owners. https://www.nssf.org/first-time-gun-buyers-grow-to-nearly-5-million-in-2020/ https://www.nssf.org/first-time-gun-buyers-grow-to-nearly-5-... At no time in history have more Americans owned guns per-capita
Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
Not according to industry surveys such as data from the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) which reported that 40% of new guns sold in 2020 went to first time buyers, a total of 5 million new gun owners. There's also reason to believe that in an increasingly anti-gun climate, gun owners are lying on traditional gun ownership surveys. On these studies, there's always a significant portion of respondents who refuse to answer the question. I think these are silent gun owners. When democrats like Beto are calling for gun confiscation, would you want to make yourself known as a gun owner?
- HideousKojima 6y ago
  I realize this is anecdata, but I can confirm that my wife has personally lied on a survey about gun ownership. I've never been part of a survey that asked, but would definitely lie if I was.
  - Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
    It should also be noted that phone surveys bias women. How many husbands hide their guns from their wife? I know my dad did.
- dragonwriter 6y ago
  Um, that statistic you just quoted says that the majority of new guns sold were to existing gun owners, so it's perfectly consistent with the thesis you are using it to contradict (and that's even before considering how many of those first-time buyers aren't first-time owners, but people raised in gun-owning families making their first independent purchase.) The long term trend in gun ownership (both individually and by households) has been down for a long time (different data sources have different exact numbers, but the trend is consistent across them.) The increase over time in guns per capita is the smaller share of gun owning households getting more guns each: more women in those households getting guns, more guns per adult owner, and kids in gun families getting real firearms younger.
  - Acrobatic_Road 6y ago
    It doesn't matter if 40% of new sales went to new gun owners or 4%. If people who were not gun owners are buying guns, then the % of people who owns guns is increased. >The long term trend in gun ownership (both individually and by households) has been down for a long time (different data sources have different exact numbers, but the trend is consistent across them.) Or, the number of people willing to admit owning a gun has been on the decline in a gun-hostile climate.
    - extra88 6y ago
      No, because the data can’t address how many gun owners gave up their guns (willingly or not) in the time period. Or how many gun owners died for that matter. If first-time buyers made up 40% of sales, a net increase in gun ownership is likely. If it’s much lower, maybe not.
    - dragonwriter 6y ago
      > If people who were not gun owners are buying guns, then the % of people who owns guns is increased. That's not true. Because people who own guns can stop being gun owners, too, both through giving up gun ownership—volintarily or not—and death. There's always some share of gun purchases that go to new gun owners, but the trend in gun ownership for at least 50 years has been: 1. Smaller number of households with guns. 2. Smaller number of individual adults with guns (though not by as much as #1, as the average number of adult gun owners per gun owning household has gone up.) 3. Larger number of guns per gun owning household. 4. Larger number of guns per gun owner (though not by as much as #3, for pretty similar reasons as the relationship between #2 and #1.) Gun ownership is becoming a narrower subculture, and within families within that subculture gun ownership is becoming more universal, and to involve more guns per owner. Guns have become the “bling” of a shrinking subculture.

jrgaston 6y ago

Another reason I've never regretted leaving Texas.

dQw4w9WgXcQ 6y ago
Well you must be onto something, because Californians are leaving for Texas in record numbers.
SeanBoocock 6y ago
Like every other state, there is a stark divide in the culture and politics of the major metropolitan areas and everywhere else. San Francisco vs parts of rural Northern California are an even starker example of that than what you would see between Austin or San Antonio and rural Texas.

paulie_a 6y ago

Gun owners are a minority in this country. The average american doesnt own one, let alone ten. The minority just is lou.d as hell. The NRA used to be a reasonable organization with a reasonable mission. Then it went batshit crazy

claytongulick 6y ago
Do you have a source for this? It was my understanding that the majority of American households owned at least one firearm. Edit: I found this [1], but the numbers seem a bit questionable. Even if you take them at face value, 44% doesn't seem to qualify as a vocal minority. https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own-guns.aspx https://news.gallup.com/poll/264932/percentage-americans-own...
- paulie_a 6y ago
  Household is different than person Just because someones father has a gun doesnt make the kid a gunowner or say anything about their attitude towards 2A
  - zepto 6y ago
    Sure, so let’s stop counting those people as though they are against gun ownership.
    - paulie_a 6y ago
      Im just saying that they are automatically being included as pro gun whereas the measurement should be individual gun ownership. Not the household stat which is obviously used to make it look more impressive. And remember it's not binary, a lot of people are indifferent and many want more gun restrictions and some want less Back to my original point is the average american does not own a gun
      - zepto 6y ago
        > the average American does not own a gun Remember it’s not binary - the average American owns approximately 40% of a gun.