Poll: Gun ownership at 20-year high

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/lookout/poll-gun-ownership-20-high-140452521.html


Guns seized under Washington D.C.'s now-defunct handgun ban (AP)
Nearly half of Americans say they have a gun in their household, the highest percentage since 1993, according to a new Gallup poll.

Forty-seven percent of Americans say they have a gun on their property. Gun ownership is up among Republicans as well as Democrats, though only 40 percent of Democrats say their home has a gun, compared to 55 percent of Republicans. Support for personal gun-ownership rights is also at a high. (The poll has a margin of error of plus or minus four points.)



Reported gun ownership dropped sharply in the early 1990s and remained in the low 40s until today. Gallup says it's hard to know whether fewer people actually owned guns over that period or if they felt uncomfortable saying they did due to lower public support for gun ownership.

Interesting read. Thanks.

The Democratic statistics are probably wrong. The 40% is probably low, they just don't want to admit that they've "visited the Dark Side" in front of their fellow "libs".

Isn't it amazing how gun ownership is UP and violent crime is DOWN. Who would have "thunk"?

amlevin said:

Isn't it amazing how gun ownership is UP and violent crime is DOWN. Who would have "thunk"?

Click to expand...

Must just be a coincidence

Every single person on this board woulda thunk it.

I was listening to 610am today and heard over 50% of every household has a firearm and 43% of all women now own a firearm. Now just to get everyone in those numbers carrying everyday, and at least a 1/3 of them openly carrying. We could work on the other 2/3rds next year.

amlevin said:

The Democratic statistics are probably wrong. The 40% is probably low, they just don't want to admit that they've "visited the Dark Side" in front of their fellow "libs".

Isn't it amazing how gun ownership is UP and violent crime is DOWN. Who would have "thunk"?

Click to expand...

It would be interesting to see a non biased study on these facts. It really is hard to tell if there is a correlation between the two. I am a little hesitant to jump on a general band wagon that it is gun ownership that has caused the drop in violent crime alone, although it may have helped.

For instance economist have shown that Roe vs. Wade dropped violent crime dramatically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impact_of_Legalized_Abortion_on_Crime
Better yet read their book "Freakonomics" very interesting and surprising studies.

Now I am not a proponent of abortion per say it is a messy issue but there maybe other factors involved in the drop of crime beside an apparent connection to gun ownership.

amlevin said:

The Democratic statistics are probably wrong. The 40% is probably low, they just don't want to admit that they've "visited the Dark Side" in front of their fellow "libs".

Isn't it amazing how gun ownership is UP and violent crime is DOWN. Who would have "thunk"?

Click to expand...

Howdy Amigo!
I believe that many Democrats conceal the fact that they own guns for a really simple reason: They don't want the wrong people to find out they own one, and maybe come along and take it away. Remember, in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina, armed mercs went through neighborhoods confiscating guns from people. Many Democrats simply don't admit to owing firearms so theirs won't be taken should the fecal material strike the air circulation device.

Blessings,
M-Taliesin

Manu said:

Nearly half of Americans say they have a gun in their household, the highest percentage since 1993, according to a new Gallup poll.

Forty-seven percent of Americans say they have a gun on their property.

Support for personal gun-ownership rights is also at a high.

Click to expand...

And the proverbial pendulum begins swinging back towards the fundamental right of Americans to keep and bear arms!

sudden valley gunner said:

It would be interesting to see a non biased study on these facts. It really is hard to tell if there is a correlation between the two. I am a little hesitant to jump on a general band wagon that it is gun ownership that has caused the drop in violent crime alone, although it may have helped.

For instance economist have shown that Roe vs. Wade dropped violent crime dramatically. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Impact_of_Legalized_Abortion_on_Crime

Better yet read their book "Freakonomics" very interesting and surprising studies.

Now I am not a proponent of abortion per say it is a messy issue but there maybe other factors involved in the drop of crime beside an apparent connection to gun ownership.

Click to expand...

After reading a few studies on the effects of Roe vs. Wade, I would be inclined to agree with the idea it has had a positive impact on crime rates overall.

Also, 3 strikes laws have had an impact.

The down side of understanding the impact of Roe vs. Wade has always been that its effects can really only start to be studied at least a generation after the fact.

FMCDH said:

The down side of understanding the impact of Roe vs. Wade has always been that its effects can really only start to be studied at least a generation after the fact.

Click to expand...

This is the problem with many things the government does that have negative effects too. By the time you can outright prove the results it has become way too entrenched.