We Won! US Most Heavily Armed Nation (merged)

[trueblue1776]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/us_nm/world_firearms_dc;_ylt=AmXHPCpitD8lR22bLgekI5Ks0NUE

U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people

By Laura MacInnis 1 hour, 19 minutes ago

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.

Five years ago, the Small Arms Survey had estimated there were a total of just 640 million firearms globally.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we previously believed," Krause said, attributing the increase largely to better research and more data on weapon distribution networks.

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.

 

[quatin]

U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people

An interesting survey of civilian arms ownership throughout the world. Also, I'd like to point out that it references something that counters a popular myth. That China bans civilian arms ownership.



GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.
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U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.

Five years ago, the Small Arms Survey had estimated there were a total of just 640 million firearms globally.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we previously believed," Krause said, attributing the increase largely to better research and more data on weapon distribution networks.

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070828/us_nm/world_firearms_dc;_ylt=ArfCb2bX24O063n5EUuuuGWs0NUE

 

[GigaBuist]

Sounds like we need to get another 27 million firearms to bring the ratio up to 1:1.

I'm doing my part.

 

[silverlance]

the reason why murder is rampant in the war-torn african nations is because only 1 person out of every 100 has a tool with which to defend themselves.

 

[JamesM]

while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower

who would have thought that an armed minority of people would try to take advantage of an unarmed majority?

 

[El Tejon]

Alright, O.K., who are the slackers here? Let me see your hands if you own fewer than 61 firearms. *writes names down*

Ummm, you lazy bones, get to work buying those guns. Let's get that ratio over 1:1 next year. Buy 'em cheap and stack them deep.

 

[matt87]

If only 12% of civilean weapons are registered, where is he getting his information from? His A_ _ _. I'll let you fill in the blanks.

 

[fletcher]

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

???

All I hear about Mexico is how nobody can own anything but a .22 or you head to the slammer. Is that true?

 

[lacoochee]

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

What Keith doesn't say here is that the reason these areas are seen as awash with guns is because so many civilians are massacred by them. But who owns the guns in these countries? Oh, that's right, what passes for the government in these places...

I do have a question, the report has China as having a large number of weapons in civilian hands, not on a per capita basis but on a purely numbers basis, I wonder who is included in that 40 million? If had to guess they are including police officers as civilians (they are but that is another debate)...
Does anyone know?

 

[Noxx]

Well, if this doesn't merit a beer I don't know what does. WooT.

 

[CWL]

All I hear about Mexico is how nobody can own anything but a .22 or you head to the slammer. Is that true?

Mexico's gun laws don't allow civilians to own guns in military calibers (9mm para., .45ACP, etc.) This is why the .38 super is very popular as a semi cartridge there. This law is very similiar to many other countries.

 

[Jorg Nysgerrig]

If only 12% of civilean weapons are registered, where is he getting his information from? His A_ _ _. I'll let you fill in the blanks.

The most of the US doesn't have gun registration. However, gun makers do report the numbers of guns they make. If they make a million guns for the civillian market a year and only 120,000 are registered in New York, California, Chicago,and other places that require registration of handguns/"assault weapons"/all guns, then one can easily say that 12% are registered. This example isn't correct, obviously, because he's also including countries with mandatory gun registration. So if Acme Gun Maker makes 1.5 million guns and sends 150,000 to Canada and the rest are sold in the US, there's 10% registered right there. As far as determining the number of guns already out there, they just sample the population.

 

[Hoppy590]

while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

yes, because when guns are not available criminals find other means. bats, machettes ETC.

 

[Nolo]

Excellent. I still think we need more guns, but this is good news. The idea that guns automatically and instantly turn whoever owns them into crazed, government-despising psychopaths needs to be put down. This "One Ring" fallacy is just wrong, and hopefully the fact that one of the most stable countries in the world is also one of the most firearm-populated will help to dispell it.

 

[quatin]

I do have a question, the report has China as having a large number of weapons in civilian hands, not on a per capita basis but on a purely numbers basis, I wonder who is included in that 40 million? If had to guess they are including police officers as civilians (they are but that is another debate)...
Does anyone know?

The guns that cops are issued aren't civilian owned guns. They're government guns. At least that would make the most amount of sense.

 

[Bazooka Joe71]

Ummm, you lazy bones, get to work buying those guns. Let's get that ratio over 1:1 next year. Buy 'em cheap and stack them deep.

El Tejon, feel free to buy me some guns and get my number up higher. I'll even drive to Indy and pick them up.

I'm trying to do my part as well, unfortunately my latest purchase was from another owner, so the ratio stayed the same.

 

[stevelyn]

90 guns per 100 people in the US...........



The question is....................................


























































How do we arm the other 10?




I love "Lord of War".

 

[flynlr]

so according to my math "3rd grade" I have 10 peoples guns. okay you 9 slackers get with it!

 

[grasssnake]

If guns are evil, then we have much evil in this country for which people are not at all responsible. Our mothers did not love us. The town bully was mean to me.

 

[lee n. field]

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.

Good news if true. Most likely a guestimate.

I'm doing my part.

I'm pulling the weight of 10 or so people around me.

 

[Nil]

Hm... looks like I'll need to pick up a few more to even it all out.

 

[W.E.G.]

So many guns, so little ammo.

 

[strat81]

Anyone else thinking of Homer Simpson chanting "USA! USA!"?

I love this country.

 

[Big Calhoun]

I think the Iraq numbers are a little undereported.

I'll be adding another one to the collection this weekend. Since we had a baby recently, only one new addition for this year unless I can convince the wife to let me get a shotgun as my X-mas present to myself. We might have to do a 1:1 trade....I get a shotgun, she gets another pair of earrings.

This gun stuff is expensive in more ways than one.

 

[jlbraun]

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