Gallop does a poll on gun ownership

[sturmruger]

I did a search to see if I could find anyone posting a link to this article. I didn't find anything except someone mentioning that Fox News had a blurb about it. What really upset me is how these reporters sound like total NY Elitist! I get so mad about that kind of attitude. I am just happy to be above average.

LINK TO ARTICLE

Press Image of Gun Owner Not Far Off, Except for All Those Women

By E&P Staff

Published: January 04, 2005 10:00 AM ET

NEW YORK A Gallup Poll released this morning reveals that the average American owns 1.7 guns, with the average gun owner possessing 4.4 of them. The press is quick to promote stereotypes of the average gun owner as a white male, most likely Republican, living in a rural area or the South. But how well does reality match the image? The new Gallup Poll shows that the stereotype is not that far off, but with several twists.

For one thing, one out of three American women say they own a gun. That's not much below the overall mark of 40% for all American adults.

As for other elements of the stereotype: More than half (53%) of Republicans own guns, compared with 36% of political independents and 31% of Democrats. Whites are more likely than nonwhites to own (44% and 24%, respectively), according to Gallup.

Residents of the South are significantly more likely than those living in other regions to report owning a gun. More than half of those living in rural areas (56%) own a gun, compared with 40% of suburbanites and 29% of those living in urban areas.

From 1959 through 1993, an average of 47% of Americans reported having a gun in their homes. Since that time, household gun ownership has dropped to an average of 40%.

Gallup also asked those with guns in their households about the total number of guns they have. A majority of gun owners (62%) have more than one gun on their properties, including 29% who say they have five or more guns.

But do guns make you safer? “Americans are divided on the topic,” Gallup reports, with 46% saying that having a gun in the home makes it a more dangerous place to be, and 42% saying guns make households safer.



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E&P Staff

 

[client32]

with 46% saying that having a gun in the home makes it a more dangerous place to be, and 42% saying guns make households safer.

I want to know what % of the 46% own a firearm? I would think it would be close to 0%.

I don't have any reason for wanting to know, or do I think it would prove anything beyond the already common knowledge that people are uneducated in things.

 

[Chaz]

with the average gun owner possessing 4.4 of them

MUHahahahaha!! As for me thier WAY off!! I guess most of us here aint average.

 

[charby]

For one thing, one out of three American women say they own a gun.

Thats the only new "thing" I learned from that poll. The rest of the numbers jived to what I had running around in my head. Now to find one of those one in three.

Charby

 

[LadySmith]

46% saying that having a gun in the home makes it a more dangerous place to be

...for criminals.

 

[sturmruger]

My wife always said I am above average.

 

[River Wraith]

It nice to be above average, but I doubt it'll keep my wife from busting my chops if I buy another gun.

 

[jefnvk]

I guess most of us here aint average.

That's why we are here

Why wasn't I called on this survey?

 

[Standing Wolf]

...one out of three American women say they own a gun.

Aw, come on, ladies! You can do better than that.

 

[ALS]

Glad I'll helping the Averages. There is one of me and 25 guns in the safes or at least that is all I can remember that I have. I have 10 handguns, 15 rifles, and 2 shotguns. When I get home I'll have to count them, I may have forgot about one or two.

 

[magsnubby]

I've never trusted polls,Gallup, exit polls or any other kind. For every person that said "Yeah, i own a gun, there was probably several that owned guns but said "Nope".

I know if somebody called asking me if i owned guns i would think "Screw you Mr. Burglar" and say "Nope".

 

[Wildalaska]

The polls invalid no one talked to me

Wildgimmeyer.4gunsandwellputemtogetherferyaAlaska

 

[K-Romulus]

interesting tidbit

I looked into the stats at OJP.gov and found that there were 65 million criminal records on file with DOJ/FBI, meaning 65 million people had criminal records of some sort. Assuming that one in four individuals is in there more than once (due to records from multiple states), that leaves 49 million in the "criminal record" pool, meaning only an estimated 85% of the public AT MOST is eligible to legally own firearms under Fed law. (300mil/49mil = 15% barred). You maybe can parse the stats even further into felony v. misdemeanor, and maybe even "just arrest," but it seemed that these stats were used in the NICS system (not sure).

922(g) bars a whole host of other people from gun ownership IN ADDITION to those with (certain) criminal records. And many people live in places where they can't get (legal) firearms easily (NYC, DC, Chicago, MA, NJ, etc).

Based on all this info, I conservatively guess-timated that, altogether, only ~80-85% of the population can, in practice, actually have access to firearms. So these polls showing "x% this" and "x%" that should be viewed with that in mind.