How many guns do you think the average gun owner has

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That would be like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

You can only hope it remains a mystery. Because if you find out, it is because "they" are inventorying them as they're taken away. JMHO.
 
That's hard to gauge. There are lots of gun owners who aren't necessarily enthusiasts. There is the guy who goes on a once a year hunting trip with his buddies, and the single mom who keeps a pistol for protection who probably only have one gun. You have the occasional hunter/target shooter who probably has a couple rifles, shotguns and pistols. Then you have serious hunters or sport shooters who probably have a half a dozen guns. Then there is the rest of us. Collectors, accumulators, those of us that need a gun to match every pair of pants we own, etc. Most of us wouldn't tell you how many guns we own, many of us don't even know without taking inventory.
 
They say there are about 35,000,000 gun owners and there are estimates that there are 350,000,000 guns so that would be 10 per gun owner
I have seen it reported (by polling outfits) that 34% of the population claims to own at least one gun. That is about 107,000,000, not 35,000,000. I wonder which number is correct? Hah...they are probably both wrong actually. :)
 
That would be like asking how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

You can only hope it remains a mystery. Because if you find out, it is because "they" are inventorying them as they're taken away. JMHO.


Wait a minute! They're taking tootsie pops away? Has this law passed yet?

Man, just when we got Twinkies back too. It just never ends. :evil:
 
Average is easy to estimate based on population and estimated firearms in public hands. The thing is, this will be a massively skewed distribution, so median would be a better statistic. Based on standard figures, an average of 4-6 would seem right, but the median? Hard to say, but a bit lower than that as many owners have a gun or two, but few beyond members of a forum like this have dozens or more.
 
I'd guess that the average gun owner has three or four firearms. Folks that own one firearm aren't "average".
 
Wil , no one forced you to answer. And I never asked what you or anyone had, only what members thought was average. I find people who are defensive and don't even understand the question, are just looking for an argument.
 
I would say on average 5 or under. 3 or under is probably closer. And then you can throw in the gun owners that are more like gun possessors.........theses are the folks that have dads/grandpa's 22 or shotgun in the back of the closet, not ever used.
 
Ok, maybe there are approx. 300 Legal guns in US households.

About how many ILLegal guns are estimated to be in posession by convicted felons in the US?:scrutiny:
Maybe some LEOs have a plausible estimate.
 
My guess would be 5 +/- 2 total firearms. This is including shotguns, rifles, handguns, .22LR for the kiddies and so on.

I am WAY past the six sigma for that number. ;)
 
I think you're looking for the median number, or which number of guns do MOST owners have.
In that case I would say the median is probably 1.
I bet more people have 1 than have any other quantity.

But the most people have zero.........and that's a shame.
 
Average? Hmmm, I would bet there are more gun owners in the US with just one gun than owners with multiple ones.
 
The takeaway message from this thread is that, beyond wild guesses, nobody knows how many guns there are, how many owners, and how many guns per owner.

That means that the policymakers and politicians are acting in a complete information vacuum. Each side of the gun control debate can inflate its claims without fear of contradiction.
 
To me the average number of guns a typical owner would have would be around 5 or 6. Possibly a shotgun (12 gauge), a couple of rifles (one of them a .22), and 2 or 3 handguns (a revolver and a couple of semi-autos).
 
I would venture to guess that those who have bought a gun just to have one in the house, but never shot it; average 1 gun.

Those who have bought and then join a gun club. And actually go shooting there. And enjoy practice, target shooting; many guns.
 
Since I never met a Census taker, and there are millions who don't pay income tax, how would the Government actually even know how many people are in the country. I think it's all guesstimation.
I get paperwork for corporations that have been closed for 20 years, I doubt anyone in the Government really knows anything other than what the guy next to him told him.
 
george burns wrote:

Since I never met a Census taker, and there are millions who don't pay income tax, how would the Government actually even know how many people are in the country. I think it's all guesstimation.

The science of statistical sampling has become rather advanced. I've read that you can take a random sample of 1,000 or 1,200 people and extrapolate from that a very accurate picture of the entire 300+ million population. This presupposes that the sample is truly random and that the participation rate of those called is high.

The problem with polling regarding guns is that, due to the sensitivity of the issue, many of those being polled are very reluctant to participate. Or, they give dishonest answers. How many of those owning 100+ guns are going to admit to a stranger, over the telephone, that they own any guns at all?

This means that polling on guns is practically worthless. My gut feeling is that there are many more gun owners, and guns, in this country than the published sources indicate. Remember that guns seldom wear out, and that many, many more are added to the supply every year.
 
I am agreeing with you, but the same occurs in census taking. It's a matter of where you took it and how truthful the people who actually answered are.
Every time my wife has one of those "judge" tv shows on, there is a homeowner who added an illegal apartment onto the single family home he owns and has another family living there.
The same holds true for Government housing, "section 8" here in FL, and also poor neighborhoods where you may have 2 or 3 family's living in a 3 room apartment. This is the great unknown in our country, How many people really live here.
 
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