Total Number of Guns in the US

I belive it was 160 million

http://www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?id=206&issue=007

3. BATFE estimated 215 million guns in 1999 (Crime Gun Trace Reports, 1999, National Report, Nov. 2000, p. ix , www.atf.gov/firearms/ycgii/1999/index.htm). The National Academy of Sciences estimated 258 million (National Research Council, Firearms and Violence: A Critical Review, National Academies Press, 2005). The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports 72 million approved new and used firearm transactions by firearm dealers through the National Instant Check System between 1999-2007 (“Background Checks for Firearm Transfers, 2007,” www.ojp.usdoj.gov./bjs/pub/html/bcft/2007/table/bcft07st01.htm).

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Further:

More Guns: There are 250+ million privately-owned firearms in the United States.3 The number of guns typically rises by about 4.5 million every year,4 though between 2007-2008, firearm transactions cleared by the National Criminal Instant Background Check rose 14 percent.5

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Even further:

The FBI says that 113,680,372 NICS checks were requested between Nov. 1998 and March 31, 2010. (http://www.fbi.gov/hq/cjisd/nics/Total NICS Background Checks.htm) A truly intformative chart -- worth a quick study.

The most interesting point to me is that, in Dec. of '98 there were 871,000 checks performed. 10 years later, in Dec. of 2008, there were over 1.5 MILLION checks performed. Almost a 300% increase.

Actually, if you add the estimate of 215 million in '99 to around 110 million more sold in the 10 years following, you get a reasonable approximation of 325,000,000 privately held firearms in the US today.

That should put a smile on your face.

300 milion living in the country. Not to many gun owners/not many people like guns or care for them, but the gun owners own more than one firearm so it kinda makes up for the people who do not own one

Oh look jan1,213,885 fed1,259,078,march1,345,096 1,225,980 1,023,102 968,145 966,162 1,074,757 1,093,230 1,233,982 1,223,252 1,407,155 14,033,824
2009
^from link above look at 2009 months

Etc on months. That is the BIG year of the gun scare

gun owners

I've done my part,I helped a co-worker quit procrastinating and buy first Rifle.Next step,Help them decide what handgun to buy;ie let His Wife try out a few. We will bring out the 22 rimfires and see type,then on to caliber.

I thought it was just shy of 300,000,000 privately owned guns. I thought it was right around 290 or so, but it's been a while since I read something on it.

If they are using the instant background check system, that number is extremely flawed. Don't CWL holders bybass that system? . Meaning all firearms bought by those individuals were not included in this estimate?

Atleast Concealed Weapons License holders in Texas don't get called in. If it's the same for all License holders Nation-wide, then they are missing A LOT of guns! To even be close to accurate, they would have to count the actual 4473's.

Still 2 Many Choices!?

If they are using he instant background check system, that number is extremely flawed.

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It certainly is. For one thing, it doesn't count private transfers, but that's not that big a deal as the VAST majority of guns being sold aren't home-builds, so they're going to come from licensed manufacturers, and so will be sold on a 4473, with a NICS check.

Don't CWL holders bybass that system?

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In some states CCW/CWL/CHP/LCTF holders can purchase guns without going through the NICS check, so yes, that is one flaw in the system.

How much of an error does that introduce is anyone's guess. 5%? 1%? I can't imagine it's over 5%, but who knows?

Looked it up:

18 states have some kind of firearms permit that qualifies the holder as exempt from the NICS check.

http://www.atf.gov/firearms/brady-law/permit-chart.html


Soooo.... "all" you have to do is to figure out what number of people in each state hold that specific kind of permit and then determine how many guns were purchased in those individual states in your selected sample time frame and then extrapolate based on the percentage of licensed/permitted citizens to non-permitted citizen gun buyers (as opposed to the general population, a large portion of whom wouldn't have bought a gun during that time) to make an educated estimate of how many sales this group might reasonably represent.

Like I said, 5%.

I think "cr@p-load" might cover it. Keep in mind that a certain number of those guns (a high number actually) are Lorcins, Jennings, etc etc that have a short service life.

Only 300 million? Sounds like we need to buy more of them.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr

I've always seen the fact that we are armed as the biggest deterrent to invasion.It's beyond me why the washington gang would want to take that free security away.

Thanx Sam...

That sounds very reasonable. But I would argue that Texas CWL holders alone, are good for a 5% increase over the total number Of firearms in country by going without the check, !! You are probaly right though, it may average out over all the states and license holders.
Thanks again.

Still 2 Many Choices!?

Atleast Concealed Weapons License holders in Texas don't get called in. If it's the same for all License holders Nation-wide, then they are missing A LOT of guns! To even be close to accurate, they would have to count the actual 4473's.

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It's the same here in GA.

But when counting "guns", you have to take into account for used guns traded or sold to dealers. They will have two + NCIS checks/4473 forms on the same gun. So I'd call it a wash between multi-NCIS guns, and those that aren't called in because of CCW holder.

Wyman

Doh! Forgot about double-checked guns! So the only way to check semi-accurately would be to cross reference the serial#'s against the 4473, and NCIS system. Way more trouble than it would be worth.

Still 2 Many Choices!?

Quite a few. One behind every blade of grass.

Doh! Forgot about double-checked guns! So the only way to check semi-accurately would be to cross reference the serial#'s against the 4473, and NCIS system. Way more trouble than it would be worth.

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And that information isn't stored anywhere but the gun dealers' filing cabinets (we are lead to hope) as NICS doesn't collect serial numbers and there isn't a federal "registry" of gun serial numbers that could be used to do that.

HUH!!

the FBI estimated that this year alone they could only estimate do the illegal imports that there is over 350,000,000. I personally think that we are all under estimating the figures, and on the other hand the U.S. Goverment destroys 90% of the guns used in crimes the ones they don't keep for reference. My last thought just goes to show if they don,t know how many guns there are how are they going to take them away????

350 million? One for each of ya! That acutally makes me really happy. What I always think about is if the Gov ever did succeed in confistating guns, even if they confiscated half(!) of all privately owned firearms, there'd still be 175 million.. A little safety in numbers!

Actually, if you add the estimate of 215 million in '99 to around 110 million more sold in the 10 years following, you get a reasonable approximation of 325,000,000 privately held firearms in the US today.

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You forgot to subtract the ones destroyed at buy backs. So it's probably only around 324,990,000........or so. They have such success with their numbers.

If 325,000,000 Guns were lined up end-to-end, how long a line would it be?

Would it circle the Earth?

I think there are around 12.

Possibly, but I think that'd mean that i could pick up a few an no one would notice.

If 325,000,000 Guns were lined up end-to-end, how long a line would it be?

Would it circle the Earth?

Of the 325,000,000. If half are long guns (162,500,000) at an average length of 3 ft and considering the are are 5280 ft in a mile, we get a little more than 92,329 miles. I think that alone would circle the earth almost 4 times. Adding the rest as handguns with an average length of 6 inches we get another 15,388 miles.

Someone please double-check my math, but that is a lot of guns.