Can Pennsylvania be that low?

[Hokkmike]

An article from Fox News says that Pennsylvania is only 35th out of 50 states in gun ownership with 27 percent of its citizens owning guns. Very hard for me to believe. At times in the past we have had as many as 1,000,000 hunters afield on the first day buck season.

The legislature is largely Republican and pro gun. The laws are pretty good here for gun owners but could, perhaps, be a little better. Philadelphia is especially the center of anti gun sentiment.

But 35th? I just don't know!!!

• 35 (TIE). Pennsylvania
  
  
  The gun ownership rate in Pennsylvania is 27.1 percent.

 

[ontarget]

The real question is how would they even get an accurate count to begin with? That stat has to be based on registered firearms and we all know that only covers a small percentage of long guns especially. At best that stat is only an estimation.

 

[harrygunner]

Is there a link to the article?

A year or two ago, one article used a method that was so nonsensical that their intention had to be limited to just being "click bait".

 

[RETG]

Not sure about Fox, but CBS did one a year ago that showed PA at 35, based on a percentage of the gun owners to the state's population.

As the first page will state it is done by a 4000 person survey, and they also state that "many" guns go unregistered and the NCIS check is not inclusive. (Really!)

It shows ID as number 3; however, Idaho has NO registration requirement, if you have a permit to carry (not required but still available) NCIS checks are not required when purchasing a gun. And everyone I know, including myself, would never answer a survey asking if you own guns. I would just hang up.

So how they come to their figures is questionable.

https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/gun-ownership-rates-by-state/

 

[rbernie]

That stat has to be based on registered firearms and we all know that only covers a small percentage of long guns especially.

What states require registration of long guns?

 

[Theohazard]

What states require registration of long guns?

I think he was referring to NFA registration.

 

[flphotog]

The real question is how would they even get an accurate count to begin with? That stat has to be based on registered firearms and we all know that only covers a small percentage of long guns especially. At best that stat is only an estimation.

I'm pretty sure that PA does not "register" any guns so using the term "registered firearms" is an inaccurate statement.

 

[thomas15]

Here in NE PA the question isn't do you own a gun? Rather the question is how many and what kind?

 

[huntsman]

Pa is a high population state so one reason could be the percentage is reduced, don’t know how they allow for that. In the link Alaska was #1 but their population has to be at the bottom or the state rankings.

 

[Officers'Wife]

It's a puzzle to me that first the poll would even be made and second the lament of it's accuracy. But in my mind it would be roughly akin to how many shovels are in the tool shed. I really could care less what my neighbor has unless he starts using it in an unlawful manner. In that case I want the neighbor removed not the tool.

 

[Kaeto]

What states require registration of long guns?

I know Hawaii, California(of all purchased from an FFL) do

 

[Everready73]

That sounds a little low to me as a PA resident, but many sates do have better laws such as constitutional carry, or no background checks with LTCF. I have my LTCF and the process was fairly easy, but there was a 2 week wait in my county. Some counties are same day.

What is BS is our Democratic Governor declaring a State of Emergency due to the Opioid "Epidemic". Anyone that open carries without a LTCF is not able to do so during a State of emergency and their rights are being violated.

 

[GAF]

Almost everyone I know owns guns. If you asked them the pole would say 95 % of the people in Wisconsin own guns.
I guess the numbers come down to who is taking the poll and did they tell the truth.

 

[Theohazard]

I don’t know how any attempt to measure specific rates of gun ownership can be remotely accurate since much of it requires gun owners to tell the truth to a pollster.

Considering how prevalent anti-gun sentiment is in our society and how often politicians hint (or sometimes outright admit) that they want to confiscate firearms from currently-legal gun owners, we’re skeptical of any third party asking us about our firearm ownership. If I were asked by a pollster, I’d either refuse to answer or simply lie.

The only time I’ve been asked about my firearm ownership in anything other than a social capacity was in a rental lease application. I put that I didn’t own any firearms. But, I also put down my employer, which was an LGS with “gun shop” at end of its name. Either my landlords thought it was plausible that someone could work at a gun shop and yet not own any firearms, or they didn’t care. Either way, they rented us the house and it never was an issue.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

Gallup has pointed out that answers to guns surveys depend a lot on question phrasing and the gun politics climate.

Zogby Analytics Feb 25, 2015
QUESTION: "If a national pollster asked you if you owned a firearm, would you determine to tell him or her the truth or would you feel it was none of their business?"
36% of Americans feel it is none of the pollster's business and that includes
35% of current gun owners,
47% of Republicans and
42% of Independents

 

[RETG]

Also wonder if people in blue states may be less inclined to answer yes, than those in very gun friendly states? Especially since many have the feeling to trust no one unknown, and then only trust 10% of those you know.

 

[Armybrat]

I don’t know how any attempt to measure specific rates of gun ownership can be remotely accurate since much of it requires gun owners to tell the truth to a pollster.

Considering how prevalent anti-gun sentiment is in our society and how often politicians hint (or sometimes outright admit) that they want to confiscate firearms from currently-legal gun owners, we’re skeptical of any third party asking us about our firearm ownership. If I were asked by a pollster, I’d either refuse to answer or simply lie.

The only time I’ve been asked about my firearm ownership in anything other than a social capacity was in a rental lease application. I put that I didn’t own any firearms. But, I also put down my employer, which was an LGS with “gun shop” at end of its name. Either my landlords thought it was plausible that someone could work at a gun shop and yet not own any firearms, or they didn’t care. Either way, they rented us the house and it never was an issue.

What Theo said.

I know scores of gun owners, and not one of them would answer any questions about their gun ownership from an anonymous stranger taking a poll over the phone. I think these gun ownership polls are probably the least accurate of any "they" are trying to foist upon a gullible & ignorant public.

The eggheads continue to say we should believe their polls, but the last election exposed that fallacy.

 

[JeffG]

Philadelphia is especially the center of anti gun sentiment.

Anti gun sentiment, and the attending logic makes me sick. Basically what people are saying is, the idea of psychotic murderers is tolerable running free in our society, as long as they don't have guns. As if knives, hammers, cars, pressure cooker bombs, or gasoline are more acceptable ways to kill people.

 

[ontarget]

What states require registration of long guns?

I wasn't actually sure any did, other than evil black guns, but I believe many states require pistols to be registered. That was my point though, unless they are registered they really can't count them. And that is why we need to fight registration.

 

[ontarget]

I'm pretty sure that PA does not "register" any guns so using the term "registered firearms" is an inaccurate statement.

Exactly what I was trying to say. No registration, no real count.

 

[rbernie]

I believe many states require pistols to be registered.

They do not.

 

[GBExpat]

I know scores of gun owners, and not one of them would answer any questions about their gun ownership from an anonymous stranger taking a poll over the phone. ...

I won't even answer the phone for one of these annoying mystery callers.

 

[SharpDog]

So, those are likely based on the number of NICS checks divided by the number of adults (per capita) divided by an estimated length of ownership of a firearm). Highly subjective, doesn't account for illegal firearms or those passed down / around within a family. for example. There is also a likely assumed average length of possession which could be overly large to inflate the figures or overly short.

 

[ontarget]

They do not.

Ok, my bad, but that makes those stats on ownership even more of a guess.

 

[Kaybee]

I spent some time in Philly and the politicians in that town would grab every gun they could get their hands on if state laws didn't keep them in check or if they could figure out a loophole.

State laws prohibits records of gun ownership, so instead they keep records of all the handgun sales! Sneaky!
Federal law prohibits making owning airguns illegal, and instead they make it illegal to "sell them or to posses them with the intent to use"
Side note, they also made it illegal there to have a pocket knife in public. Any knife of any size or configuration. They also made it illegal on the books to have "anything sharp that could be used as a weapon"

Look that up. They are nuts! Only thing is that the police there are usually too busy with real crime to bother enforcing some of the crazy laws the politicians there have passed.