The most (and least) armed states in the union (Daily Beast)

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Kentucky_Rifleman

Kentucky_Rifleman

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The Daily Beast just posted this. Based on the number of NICS checks last year, here are the rankings of the 50 states based on gun purchasing.

I find it fascinating how cleanly the single issue of gun ownership divides Americans and states into those two most familiar camps of "red state / blue state."

Here they are; enjoy.

1, Kentucky
Population:4,314,113
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents (Dec. 2008 – May 2010): 134,028

2, Utah
Population:2,784,572
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 30,315

3, Montana
Population:974,989
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 25,745

4, Wyoming
Population:544,270
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 22,827

5, Alaska
Population:698,473
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 22,273

6, West Virginia
Population:1,819,777
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 21,455

7, South Dakota
Population:812,383
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 19,062

8, North Dakota
Population:646,844
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 17,829

9, Arkansas
Population:2,889,450
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 17,483

10, Alabama
Population:4,708,708
NICS background checks per 100,000 residents: 16,860


Okay, that's the top ten.
To see the rest here's the link to the original article.

enjoy,
KR
 
I am from Canada ........What is a NICS background check?
Click to expand...

National Instant Criminal Background Check System

It is run every time a gun is purchased from a FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealer.
 
I am from Canada ........What is a NICS background check?
Click to expand...

It's the holdout from the Clinton administration that is an "instant" background check for individuals purchasing a gun from a licensed dealer. You buy the gun, the dealer calls in your information, and you are:

A. cleared to purchase (you walk out the door with your new toy),
B. refused (someone somewhere thinks you have no business buying a gun), or
C. delayed (the same someone needs more time to decide if you're clear).

Of course individual states may have other laws that include waiting periods and so on.

P.S. I LOVE my state.
KR
 
Hmm, I was kind of hoping to see Indiana somewhere on that list.

Hell, I can see Kentucky from my backyard! ;)
 
In Texas, you don't need a NICS check if the have a CHL, and there are quite a few CHL holders here, so I'm going to say that's got to be why we aren't in the top ten.
 
n Texas, you don't need a NICS check if the have a CHL, and there are quite a few CHL holders here, so I'm going to say that's got to be why we aren't in the top ten.
Click to expand...

Interesting. Utah is the same way, and given we are seen as the national clearing house for CCW permits, one has to wonder what that does to the true numbers.

Kentucky- 1.34 per resident? NICELY done!!!!:D
 
I love your state too Kentucky Rifleman!!!!!

I don't think I have ever been more proud
Click to expand...


Kentucky implemented monthly NICS checks on concealed weapons, which has inflated its numbers.
Click to expand...

So you would have to obtain the total number of "concealed weapons" or concealed weapon permit holders in the state of Kentucky, multiply it by 17, and then subtract that number from the total to get an accurate comparison.


Concealed carry holders are being checked 12x a year according to the article. Even when not purchasing guns. The article covers 17 months.

As far as I know that is not even a legal use of the NICS system.
 
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Without knowing the number of concealed permits in Kentucky I cannot do the math, but I imagine it drops Kentucky several pegs down the ladder.
 
Without knowing the number of concealed permits in Kentucky I cannot do the math, but I imagine it drops Kentucky several pegs down the ladder
Click to expand...

The fact that the state does perform a monthly NICS check on all CCW holders does inflate our numbers some, but that is offset to some degree by the fact that we may well be the most gun-show-friendly state in the U.S. and that in Kentucky CCW holders need not have a NICS call in if we present our CCW at the time of purchase. The FFL simply finishes the form with our Kentucky CCW number and there is no NICS call.

I'm by no means the norm, but I personally have bought or traded into a gun a month or more for the past two years. That means even with the monthly NICS check, I am being under-calculated. I'm not the only one.

One last consideration is that we have the wholesaler Centerfire Systems based in Versailles, and they welcome walk-in sales, including long-gun transactions from non-residents (all FFL regulations being observed) and I know they do a huge volume of sales, plus Bud's is located here in Lexington. They won't do NICS checks for online sales, but they do enjoy a booming brick-and-mortar business.

Where does Kentucky REALLY fit on the list? I doubt if we're honestly moving more than one gun per Kentuckian every 17 months, but I do believe we'd still be in the top five states, regardless.

I'm proud of every state in the top 10.

For the rest of y'all, get crackin' ;)

I'm still going to "grin and share it" as far as the article goes though :D

KR
 
That Kentucky number has to be a typo. Even if you drop the 1, they win. I find it completely impossible to believe that every person in KY had a NICS check (for purchase) 1.3 times in that period.
 
Kentucky Rifleman im with you..... in the last 8 months I've had 9 NICS checks ( just got my ccl june 6th) and am on my way tomorrow to purchase another, no NICS check of course, but this pattern will probably continue from now till I can't afford it anymore without the first NICS check
 
Wow, did anybody happen to breeze through those comments?

I think there's some smoke coming out of my ears....


Here's a little tidbit that pretty much sums it up:
As it stands you and your frigging 2nd amendment are a disgrace and a aberration to what the constitution and founding fathers stood for and should be classified as UnAmerican and deported to wherever, with all those illegals you so hate.

Don't quote 2nd Amendment rights to me, I'm an old man whom once served his country long ago with, honorable, caring, true patriots who didn't die so you and other idiots could brandish your frigging Kalashnikovs at the supermarket.
Click to expand...
 
NICS statistics aren't accurate to determine how heavily "armed" a state is. It simply indicates legal purchases from FFLs. It doesn't include firearms already owned, FTF sales, or illegal sales. Illegal sales being more prevalent in the stricter "gun control" states, of course.

That Kentucky number has to be a typo. Even if you drop the 1, they win. I find it completely impossible to believe that every person in KY had a NICS check (for purchase) 1.3 times in that period.
Click to expand...
Not necessarily. It's more likely to be multiple purchases from the same people.
 
I love how the government touts it as an "Instant" check.

If anyone has ever purchased a firearm on a Saturday afternoon around 2:30 PM, you will know that the process is hardly "instant"
 
I still don't buy it. Your saying that multiple purchases by individuals happen so much more in KY that they have a 1.3:1 ratio, while the second place state has a .3:1 ratio. Basically, that KY is selling 4x more guns per person than the 2nd place state. Something is wrong with the statistics. Maybe KY counted all of its out-of-state sales, while no other state did. Maybe KY only counted permit holders. Something doesn't add up. Not gonna look it up myself, I'm far too lazy. But I'm also very positive that it can't be right. Relax Kentuckians. Even without the "1", you're still in first place.
 
Did you completely miss my posts?

Even the OP replied.

The article also states it if you read it.

Kentucky does an automatic NICS check once a month on every concealed permit holder.
The article and statistics cover 17 months.

That means part of Kentucky's number is Concealed carry permit holders multiplied by 17, in addition to gun purchases.

So to know the real Kentucky number you would need to know the number of Kentucky concealed carry permit holders around in 2009 (which I did not find online doing a quick search), and then multiply it by 17 (the number of months covered by the article), and subtract that number from the original total, and then divide that to find the per 100,000 number. That would give a more accurate comparison.
 
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Your statistics don't really support your title. NICS checks indicate who's buying new guns from dealers. There are hundreds of thousands of people who have bought guns in the past (way before NICS) who know how to use them and should be considered just as armed.
 
Relax Kentuckians. Even without the "1", you're still in first place.
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Lol! I posted this for pure fun and entertainment. As I stated earlier, the numbers are radically inflated (Kentucky performs a monthly NICS check on all currently licensed CCW holders, whether they buy no guns or a thousand), but I suspect we're still in the top 5 states (we may even be a legitimate #1; it's impossible to tell based on NICS idiosyncrasies from state-to-state).

I've been digging around trying to find a statistic on how many CCW holders there are in Kentucky, but everything I've scrounged up so far is outdated or incomplete.

It's just a fun list to think about, nothing more. I will say that the list, taken as a whole, is probably fairly representative of which states tend to be gun friendlier and which aren't.

It also illustrates how even a federal mandate like the NICS check is being circumvented by some states. Kentucky isn't the only state that allows CCW holders to skip the phone-in check.

Since Wyoming, Idaho, and the other states recently passed state legislation that made intrastate gun transactions a matter of state law exclusively, I'm curious how many other states will adopt similar policies.

This also means that states with CCW = No phone check policies are being grossly under-reported.

KR
 
National Instant Criminal Background Check System

It is run every time a gun is purchased from a FFL (Federal Firearms License) dealer.
Click to expand...
Not here in Idaho. Not if you have a Concealed Carry Permit. No background check is required. I think it is the same in other states also. So, the numbers and conclusions in the article are probably skewed.
 
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