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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 firs

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.
    - zepto 6y ago
      > Gun ownership is becoming a narrower subculture, and within families within that subculture gun ownership is becoming more universal. Completely false: ‘There are 5 million new gun owners, and many are minorities, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The group said that its surveys of gun stores found that 58% of the firearm purchases were by black men and women, “the largest increase of any demographic group.” What’s more, said the group, “women comprised 40% of first-time gun purchasers.”’ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/boom-five-million-new-gun-owners-58-black-40-women https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/boom-f...

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.
  - zepto 6y ago
    > Gun ownership is becoming a narrower subculture, and within families within that subculture gun ownership is becoming more universal. Completely false: ‘There are 5 million new gun owners, and many are minorities, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The group said that its surveys of gun stores found that 58% of the firearm purchases were by black men and women, “the largest increase of any demographic group.” What’s more, said the group, “women comprised 40% of first-time gun purchasers.”’ https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/boom-five-million-new-gun-owners-58-black-40-women https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/washington-secrets/boom-f...