Mapping gun purchases

[hbadger]

From the "gun bubble" thread came this idea:

It would also be interesting to see a breakdown by the home addresses of the buyers and see those little dots charted out on a map so we can see the neighborhoods in which people buy guns. Comparing that to census data, we would see socio/economic and demographic trends, as well as comparisons to crime rates in those neighborhoods.

(note: i'm not taking into account the inherent "big brother" ramifications of such a study. Just speaking from a purely academic standpoint.)

I have software which could generate such maps. I would only do it to the county level, which would I hope be anonymous enough to avoid big brother concerns. If someone else out there could get the data, send me a PM and we can talk further.

Results would be posted publically to this forum, along with the software code I used to generate the map. I would also like to make the data public, but would be flexible on this if there are strong privacy concerns.

The attached image is a similar project, showing income by county (normalized to the population). Data comes from the IRS, so is only as accurate as the tax returns. Notice how Jackson Hole pops out.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Fascinating stuff!

 

[tyeo098]

Whats up with that one county in Wyoming?
Rich people!

 

[CB900F]

Fella's;

That one county in Wyoming is Teton county, ie. Jackson Hole. You know, where the ski area is & all the touristy stuff. The rest of Wyoming regards Jackson as an alternate reality, for what should be obvious reasons. Or, if you only have single-digit millions, you be poor folk.

900F

 

[signalzero]

I'm an information stats geek, so this sounds like a great idea.

 

[axeman_g]

hbadger... I do this for a living as well so if any help is needed let me know.

 

[Magoo]

Cool idea. I'd be interested to see the map.

I like the income one you posted. Reminds me of what a friend from Idaho told me a few years back- "yeah, the billionaires have kicked the millionaires out of Jackson and now they're coming over here." His family ranch land was skyrocketing in value.

 

[cleardiddion]

Whats up with that one county in Wyoming?
Rich people!

That's Jackson, Wy. Basically smack on the edge of Yellowstone and full of rich people who seem to have nothing better to do than buy up all the land they can.

 

[Whacked]

I use GIS too.
Fun software to use

However, the paranoid part of me screams that this kind of database is the last thing I'd want uncle sam to get a hold of. say academic all you want, big brother has his hands deep in that pocket.

 

[accrhodes]

Very interesting