But actual gun ownership is far more lopsided than that.
A sweeping new survey by researchers at Harvard University and Northeastern University finds that roughly half of the nearly 300 million firearms in the United States are concentrated in the hands of a tiny sliver of the U.S. population: Just 3 percent of American adults own some 130 million guns, according to The Trace and Guardian US, two news organizations that first reported on the survey. (The full survey has not yet been released; Guardian US and The Trace reported plans to publish a series of stories about the findings throughout the week.)
This portrait of gun ownership represents the equivalent of about 17 guns per person among a group of “super-owners,” the 7.7 million Americans who own between eight and 140 guns each.
If there is anyone reading this who is not a ‘super-owner’ I would be a tad surprised. How many guns do I have? More than Sarah Brady and less than Ted Nugent. I leave it at that.
Gary Marbut, Montana’s gun zealot extraordinaire, famously asserted that the average Montanan owned something around 26 guns. I think that estimation is a bit high, but I have met some folks who were very much picking up slack for those Montanans who were a little light in the hardware department.
Regardless, it doesn’t matter how many guns you own…what matters is that you be free to own as many (or as few) as you want.
Amen to that. I heard them talking about the same thing yesterday on NPR. Honestly, I find it a bit interesting that anyone with that many guns would admit they have that many guns – especially for some Harvard study. A couple people would respond – sure. But enough for them to get an legitimate estimate? Doubtful. Here’s the NPR link.
http://www.npr.org/2016/09/20/494765559/nearly-half-of-guns-in-u-s-owned-by-3-percent-of-population-study-finds
no background checks ever. no FFL, private sales ok. you may be in-favor of the king today, tomorrow not so much.
I’d be surprised if this survey is accurate. I personally know very few people who would honestly and accurately answer a question posed by a stranger regarding the number and type of firearms owned. It will be interesting to learn more about the methodology used to collect the data. Although, I’ve read elsewhere that the full study won’t be published until some future date conveniently after the election.
As for me, I am not a “super-owner.” I’m really a quality-over-quantity type of guy, anyhow. If I wanted to own 26 guns, I could, but I refuse to own a firearm I wouldn’t trust my life to under very adverse circumstances.
Well, you could own 26 copies of that one gun….
Some day, when my ship rolls in.
“Just 3 percent of American adults own some 130 million guns…”
3%…….now where have I heard that numeral before?……..
Alas, I am merely an aspiring super-owner with my pathetic baker’s dozen…..
Actually, it is quite easy to accumulate those numbers if you are over 45 and buy one gun a year. Plus guns are tools so most of those with more than a few tend to have a few guns in their collection either that are fun to shoot or are used only for one purpose (e.g. skeet shooting; hunting —-).
I’m a “super-owner” by accident rather than design. Simply living as long as I have pretty much guarantees owning a few guns. But a couple of them are nearly as old as I am & aren’t very reliable. Do they count? 🙂
Seven exactly, here.
Ex- “super owner here.” I moved a while back and in moving I realized it was really hard (and nerve wracking) to move “super owner” amounts of guns and the ammo to go with them. My plan from the start was to stay light on my feet, so to speak, and all those guns really didn’t fit the plan so I’ve been thinning things out lately.
I was a super-owner until I lost them all in a freak boating accident. I’ve never recovered from the trauma.
K. here.
I wouldn’t call it a freak accident. Actually, it sound odly common. As I peruse the interwebs it would seems that about 1/4 – 1/5 of the gun owners out there have suffered similar accidents in the last 7-8 years…
Funny. Zeerohedge (finally) just picked up on this story today, 25 sept.
“Why, yes, Mr Complete-Stranger-to-Me on the phone, I DO own dozens ofvaluable, portable and expensive firearms that are stored in my home. That’s right, the place that you have written down as my address on your survey paperwork.”
That sounds like a COMPLETELY plausible conversation between a “Superowner” and one of these Harvard people.
Guess that puts the lie to us gun-nuts all being distrusting paranoids. what?