Number of firearms in America

[benEzra]

Something like 100 million firearms, mostly hunting weapons, exist in the country. Something like 1/3 or 1/2 of the population has access to a firearm in his/her home.

At least, that's what I've always held to be the answer. I had a source for these numbers at one point, but I don't remember what it was.

Actually, most are *NOT* hunting weapons, going by the fact that 4 out of 5 gun owners are not hunters.

Estimates are all over the board, but I think the best guess is 80 million gun owners, representing a shade under 40% of U.S. households, and around 300 million firearms.

A lot of polls fail to take into account underreporting of gun ownership. I live in a pro-gun state, and if some stranger called me on the phone and wanted to know if my wife and I owned guns, I'd likely hang up. If I lived in a gun-phobic area, I know I'd hang up.

 

[El Tejon]

Kevin, I have heard the number 70 million gun owners and the number 250 million firearms privately owned.

I suspect both numbers are underreported. Guns rarely wear out unless I own them. I have guns owned by family members centuries ago and they are still functional.

I own two safes full of guns. I gave up counting years ago and went through a phase a few years ago where I gave a bunch away (well, I still do but to the nephews).

It gives me a very warm feeling that there is no way the government can tell how many guns are in existence in this country.

 

[svtruth]

Estimate

If there are 80mm gun owners, and each owner only had 5 guns, that is 400mm. Based on people's comments here and on other boards, the average number is much higher per owner.
I would not want to make owners divulge how many they own, but I think the total must be on the far side of a billion.

 

[Mad Man]

According to a 1997 U.S. Dept. of Justice "study,":

44 million Americans owned 192 million firearms, 65 million of which were handguns, and the proportion of American households that keep firearms appears to be declining.

For what it's worth, the World Watch Institute (1998) claims there are 250 million firearms in America (claiming that this figure comes from the FBI).

See also Reason's Gun Ownership: By the Numbers (May 2001).

According to widely varying estimates, there are between 77 million and 90 million gun owners in the United States. Here are some of their characteristics.

39 Percentage of Americans reporting a gun in their home

47 Percentage of men reporting a gun in their home

27 Percentage of women reporting a gun in their home

40 Percentage of whites reporting a gun in their home

19 Percentage of non-whites reporting a gun in their home

46 Percentage of Southerners reporting a gun in their home

39 Percentage of Midwesterners reporting a gun in their home

26 Percentage of Easterners reporting a gun in their home

33 Percentage of Westerners reporting a gun in their home

52 Percentage of rural residents reporting a gun in their home

36 Percentage of suburban residents reporting a gun in their home

25 Percentage of urban residents reporting a gun in their home

67 Percentage of Americans who have ever fired a gun

86 Percentage of men who have ever fired a gun

51 Percentage of women who have ever fired a gun

66 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for target shooting

65 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for protection against crime

59 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for hunting

62 Percentage of gun owners who own a rifle

59 Percentage of gun owners who own a shotgun

64 Percentage of gun owners who own a handgun

4 Average number of firearms possessed by gun owners

(Sources: Gallup Polls of 1,012 adults from August 29-September 5, 2000; and 1,054 adults from February 8-9, 1999)

If anybody has a copy of Gary Kleck's Targeting Guns available (I don't know where mine is), he does give the number of privately owned firearms in America, and the percentage of households owning guns. He does a good job of going into these subjects in depth.

 

[Henry Bowman]

66 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for target shooting

65 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for protection against crime

59 Percentage of gun owners who own guns for hunting

So what is the percentage of gun owners who own guns for protection against tyranny?


No trying to suck up, but I found this statement by Oleg to be both witty and poignant:

As a courtesy to the Devil, we won't increase his work load unless forced. VPC would be well advised not to rely on that courtesy and to make themselves inoffensive instead.

 

[TallPine]

60 million sounds about right for MT - what about the rest of the US?

We have a neighbor who says she does not "own" any guns - yet she has at least four or five in her house

 

[El Tejon]

Tall, are you telling this board that people would actually LIE to a graduate student in sociology doing research over the phone?

I am shocked, shocked I tells ya.

 

[JohnBT]

"How on earth can you people afford so many guns?"

First, pay off the mortgage. Next, save what would have gone for mortgage payments for two years and pay cash for a relatively inexpensive car - a top-of-the-line '02 Forester with leather, sunroof and 6-cd-in-dash was just $25k out the door.
Then, everything left each month after the utility bills, real estate taxes and insurance payments makes up the entertainment budget.

I once met a man who, along with his father, owned 1200 shotguns. His grandmother had her own collection.

John

 

[Moonclip]

If you want to build up a collection to a large number, it helps not to be married or have children or like other expensive hobbies! I quit coin collecting for this reason and I'm really leery of motorcycles as I've been wanting one.

Also, try to get very knowledgeable on the guns you want to collect so you can spot bargains and problems and try to get in to milsurp rifles as many modles tend to be inexpensive especially many types of Russian Mosin Nagants. Some milsurps if you start specializing though can get very expensive or hard to find or chamber expensive calibers.

Try to cut back on other expenses too, do you really need to eat the steak or will a hamburger or macaroni do sometimes I never actually skipped a meal to buy a gun, but I knew a guy and a girl who were into high fashion clothes who whould do so!

The guy I knew with the 400 guns had a real POS van, I guess we know where his cash went. As I mentioned too, both of my cars are 10 years old.

It helps if you can get a spouse or brother or parent to get in to the hobby with you too. They can spot gun deals for you too or help you financially if you are lucky!

Working at a gun shop or range or hanging out will help too but you will likely spend all your earnings on guns.

 

[KC&97TA]

If someone called me at home asking about my guns, they wouldn't get an honest answer, I'd tell them I had more than 2, but wouldn't devulge more information than that. I know all fire arms in the country aren't registered, but wonder how many are?

I'm from MN, and grew up with a nickle plated .357 in the silver ware drawer, a loaded .243 at the slideing glass door and a 18" 870 full of buck in the front closet. I grew up with alot of rifles and shot guns, alot of rifles, but very few pistols, there was only 6 hand guns in the house, and one was a TC.

I've noticed several things in California. There are alot of people that go to the range, but don't hunt, this includes pistols and long range shooting with rifles. I've also noticed that with the laws being so crazy there seems to be alot of 'honest' citizens who ccw to and from the range. I've noticed that most who own guns keep them loaded and in a safe. I've also noticed that there aren't that many gun training classes with the age 10 to 18 targeted. Alot of the first time shooters at the range seem to be in thier mid 20's. I've also noticed that handguns seem to be more popular over long guns. I maybe wrong with my perceptions. But there's one thing for sure, when I pull out an AR at the range I have everyone in there asking 20 questions each.

Personally I sleep better with the gov't not knowing how many firearms I have. It is bad enought that I had to wait 10 days for my pistols and have to pay $78 per year for an assult weapons permit. I'm not anti-gov't in anyway, but that's a number I'd rather keep behind my locked doors

 

[El Tejon]

Driz just posted an article on AKs being smuggled into the US from Iraq. I wonder if the graduate students doing the research count all the guns being smuggled in from Afghanistan, Bosnia and Iraq?

 

[boofus]

Drive a POS car, eat ramen noodles and burritos, give blood at the plasma bank and save up all those 3.99% APR credit card offers.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Number of firearms in America???
------------------------------

Not enough.

But I do my part.

Let's see. If I started shooting one gun a day on Nov 1st, sometime in Feb I will have shot them all.


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"How on earth can you people afford so many guns?"
------------------------------------------------------

Get yourself into the position to pay cash for everything. I haven't paid a cent in finance charges in 30+ years.
I never had a high paying job but still buy cars, motorcycles, tractors, aircraft, guns, everything for cash.

Do the math, how many guns or other toys could you buy if you weren't throwing away all that money on finance charges.

 

[svtruth]

Average Number

I wonder what the average number of guns owned by members of THR is?
I'm guessing >20.

 

[Magnum Mike]

Sixty million firearms is way too low, even for the number of gun owners. The number grows daily, and estimates put the number of households that have guns are around 80 million.

I have 9 rifles, 4 handguns and one shotgun, all except one handgun, which I keep with me, are stored in a fire-proof safe.

 

[Omaha-BeenGlockin]

First off---not all my guns are high dollar weapons----I have 4 10/22's --2 SKS's--a MN M44 that were picked up for chump change---and others---I've been buying my own guns for 25 years. And yes---I do have expensive ones too---maybe someday I'll see fit to cough up the bucks for a digi-cam and show em off to you guys. ---but cam money means less gun money---so that might be awhile.

3 out of my 4 AR-15's were built by myself-----just buying parts as I got the extra cash---eventually I had a whole gun.

The pawn shop where 3 of my 5 lay-a-ways are--is very easy to work with---as long as you give them something every 2 weeks--the lay-a-way period can be dragged out as long as you want---sometimes I give em $5 bucks----sometimes I pay $200----all depends on what I feel like paying.

Finally---get yourself trained and get a high paying job---that helps the gun addiction quite a bit.------lololololololol



Also--do you smoke?? quitting a pack a day habit will get you and extra $100 a month

Never buy soda from the vending machine at work---buy the cases of Walmart pop---and bring your own

Things like that go a long way too.

 

[yy]

help, help!

I only have one. ( a ha ha ha, cheap skate am I)




anyone suggest a used gun source in south cal?

 

[hardrafyed]

Are some of you guys preparing for the apocalypse?

Personally, if I bought more than one gun, I would own: semi-auto, revolver, rifle, and shotgun.

I think people that own 25, 50, or 100 guns probably live out in the country where they can shoot in their backyard or go hunting easily.

 

[captain obvious]

you have to ask yourself if one really needs all that furniture when there are concrete blocks and boards for so much less - and some of don't like heat too

 

[saltydog452]

# of firearms..

I don't have a collection, mostly an assortment that I have aquired over the years. There has been a few bad times where I needed to sell off a bit of personal property, but what remains is roughly enough to supply the family and a few friends. The irony is that my family and friends have enough to supply a few to their family and friends.

Nothing exotic, mostly 22fr, and smoothbores passed down. Poppa's old 12 gauge single shot 'Long Tom', Uncle's Winchester 1200, great uncle's Remington Mdl 11, wartime Browning A-5, a couple of butchered black powder percussion rifles from the War Between The States, Great Uncle's sporterized low serial Number '03, Lefever and LC Smith SXSs, Winchester 32.20, single shot .410, stuff like that. Nothing in pristine condition, nothing 'uber tactical'. Condition could be charitably be called 'field grade' or 'working' guns.

It was fairly well known that I appreciated firearms and family history, so when it came to disposing of some of these 'working guns', many were given to me with the understanding that I would pass them on.

salty.

 

[benEzra]

Are some of you guys preparing for the apocalypse?

Personally, if I bought more than one gun, I would own: semi-auto, revolver, rifle, and shotgun.

I think people that own 25, 50, or 100 guns probably live out in the country where they can shoot in their backyard or go hunting easily.

Between my wife and I, we own fewer than 10. We each own a 9mm pistol and a 7.62x39mm carbine (SKS for her, SAR-1 for me); I also own a mini-14 and a couple of old Mosin-Nagants out of historical interest.

I'd like to have an AR someday, and maybe a Mosin-Nagant M1891 and a SAR-2 to round out the "20th Century Eastern-Bloc Rifles" collection. And my wife would really, really like a Colt M1991A1/Mark IV/etc. when finances permit (that one's first on the "someday" list).

We don't own any shotguns and don't really have any interest in them, to tell the truth. Just not our cup of tea.

 

[M2 Carbine]

Are some of you guys preparing for the apocalypse?

Personally, if I bought more than one gun, I would own: semi-auto, revolver, rifle, and shotgun.

I think people that own 25, 50, or 100 guns probably live out in the country where they can shoot in their backyard or go hunting easily.

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Probably true.
If I didn't have a pistol and rifle range in the back yard I doubt I'd have more than 80 or 90 guns.

Like I used to tell my Wife, lucky I don't have expensive hobbies like Bass fishing or drinking booze.


Guns, flying and RC models doesn't count.

 

[Jim K]

Golly, Feinstein, Kennedy and Schumer are going to have to work real hard to get them all. Of course they will use the army, navy, marines, police, and everyone nutcase liberal they can recruit for their neo-gestapo.

Jim

 

[M2 Carbine]

Golly, Feinstein, Kennedy and Schumer are going to have to work real hard to get them all. Of course they will use the army, navy, marines, police, and everyone nutcase liberal they can recruit for their neo-gestapo.

Jim

What makes you think the military would follow orders from the likes of kennedy and schumer?

I was a Marine Sergeant and a Army Warrant Officer pilot. I took an oath to uphold and protect the US and the Constitution from all enemies both foreign and DOMESTIC.
There is on doubt, that in my time had there been a showdown, where my helicopter guns would have been pointed.

 

[Sistema1927]

To any pollster:

"Guns, what guns?"

(There are a whole bunch of us out there, and I doubt that there is a polling method yet devised that can account for us.)