What Percentage of Americans own Guns and Vote?

[ChanceMcCall]

We just read (my wife actually found it) an article in the local paper that over half the guns in America are owned by 3% of the population. While I'm not sure that is accurate, I certainly hope it is not. Either way that number encourages the anti gunners to continue to push.

Any thoughts? Any solutions?

 

[GBExpat]

... that over half the guns in America are owned by 3% of the population ...

So ... that would leave, what, ~200(?) million guns for the remaining 330 million Americans?

 

[jmr40]

I wouldn't be surprised if that number is true, or at least close. The last numbers I remember seeing says that guns are in over 50% of American homes. But the typical gun owner owns 1-3 firearms. But there are people out there who own well over 100. Some several hundred. In my circle of friends 20-30 isn't uncommon.

 

[GBExpat]

I daresay that quite a few of the members of THR are 3%ers.

 

[AlexanderA]

The unfortunate truth is that just because one is a gun owner, that doesn't mean that he is also a gun voter. Gun voters are single issue voters, or at least voters for whom guns are very high in their order of priorities. Relatively few people fall into that category.

We can't even get most gun owners to join the NRA, much less vote the way the NRA recommends.

We can't seem to gain traction with our "slippery slope" argument, even though we know what the antigunners' ultimate aims are. The majority of gun owners don't own AR-15's, and when they hear antigunners talking about new AWB's, they think that their Fudd guns are safe. That's why antigun politicians can say "nobody is going to take away your guns" with a straight face. The Fudds believe them.

 

[PapaG]

Regardless, I seriously doubt that over half the gun owners vote. In our illinois primary total numbers voting didn't equal gunowner numbers.

 

[theotherwaldo]

I'm a three-percenter and I vote.
If you're a three-percenter and you don't vote then you can't complain.

 

[somethingbenign]

Got a bunch of guys at work all agreeing to take a half day at work come November to vote. Most of the guys aren't even gun owners but we got them riled up anyways. As for everyone else in my town I can't say.

 

[coloradokevin]

I saw an article a while back that I think I shared here. That article was based on some Harvard research and called gun owners with more than 17 guns "Super owners". Apparently this accounts for 3% of all gun owners, so I assume it was drawn from the same data. Like others, I'm not entirely surprised by this. After all, some people own one or two guns for a specific purpose (hunting, home defense, etc.), while it's only generally the true enthusiasts (the folks who hang out here) who acquire collections of more than a few guns.

I'm a 3%-er, and I'll bet many of you are, too.

I did a Google search and didn't find the original article I had posted, but here's one with a similar story:

https://www.thetrace.org/2016/09/gun-super-owners-harvard-survey/

 

[Klint Beastwood]

Yeah the population of active duty service members has been said to be around 1.4 mil making up .4% of the population. The majority of them are usually pro gun...with an exception of a few sissies here and there and the occasional consciences objector.
1.4 million people only puts a dent (or maybe just a small scratch that could be buffed out)in the over all percent of potential pro gun voters. So 12 or the 24%ers represent something like 100s of millions of people that hate guns...
That’s pretty much the problem with these arbitrary numbers.....they don’t really mean anything...at least to me.

Yet, one kid had beef with his school and now everyone hates guns. Goes to show, it’s not about guns. Never was.

 

[Carl N. Brown]

I suspect news stories source for numbers tend to "gun safety" activists groups or sponsors. The American news media love a good crusade.

Gallup 1994 as a private poll got 51% of American households reporting having a gun.
Chiltons 1994 as part of a government poll got 34% of American households reporting owning a gun.
Why the difference in response between a private poll and a government poll? Could be the randomness of a small sample. But 1994 was the year full of news about trials and hearings over the Aug 1992 Ruby Ridge Standoff and Feb 1993 Raid on Mt Carmel (Waco). Gallup has surmised that gun poll responses may be affected by current gun politics.


Zogby Polls have predicted elections right when other polls called them wrong.
Zogby Analytics Feb 25, 2015
QUESTION: "If a national pollster asked you if you owned a firearm, would you determine to tell him or her the truth or would you feel it was none of their business?"
36% of Americans feel it is none of the pollster's business and that includes 35% of current gun owners 47% of Republicans and 42% of Independents

A recent Zogby Poll (1 Mar 2018) surveyed a national sample of voting age Americans.
56% of the general population support the 2nd Amendment, 28% oppose, 16% no opinion.
65% of millennials (age 18-29) support, 23% oppose, 12% no opinion.
54% of Hispanics support, 29% oppose.
46% of African Americans support, 36% oppose.
59% of white voters support, 25% oppose.
47% of Democrats support, 37% oppose.
47% of Independents support, 27% oppose.
86% of Republicans support, 18% oppose.
Apparently there are more voting age 2A supporters than there are opponents.
Apparently there are more voting age 2A supporters than there are gun owners.

 

[AlexanderA]

A recent Zogby Poll (1 Mar 2018) surveyed a national sample of voting age Americans.
56% of the general population support the 2nd Amendment, 28% oppose, 16% no opinion.

Yeah. And most antigun politicians "support" the 2nd Amendment. What does that mean?

I think the more significant finding is that 28% oppose part of the Constitution. And are forthright enough to admit it.

 

[Ks5shooter]

Here in NJ there was a total of 33% of ALL eligible voters turned out for the gubentorial election. And look what we ended up with. Everyone is crying now,but where were you on election day? Our current governor ran on a platform of raising taxes an d gun control and making this a sanctuary state? He won with overwhelming majority......Nj

 

[Carl N. Brown]

That governor was chosen by more than 17% but far less than 33% of the eligible voters.
He will act as if he had a clear mandate.
That should be a warning against voter apathy.

 

[harrygunner]

"Bad politicians are elected by good people who don't vote."

 

[JSH1]

Gallup 1994 as a private poll got 51% of American households reporting having a gun.

The most recent Gallup poll has 42% of households with a gun in their home and another 1% with a gun somewhere else on their property. The same poll puts personal gun ownership at 29%

Other questions:

Do you favor requiring background checks for all gun sales. 96% favor
Do you favor enacting a 30 day waiting period for all gun sales 75% favor
Do you favor requiring all privately owned guns to be registered with the police. 70% favor
Would you favor or oppose a law which would require universal background checks for all gun purchases in the U.S. using a centralized database across all 50 states? 86% favor
Are you for or against a law which would make it illegal to manufacture, sell or possess semi-automatic guns known as assault rifles? 48% favor
Do you think there should or should not be a law that would ban the possession of handguns, except by the police and other authorized persons? 28% favor

http://news.gallup.com/poll/1645/guns.aspx

A recent Zogby Poll (1 Mar 2018) surveyed a national sample of voting age Americans.
56% of the general population support the 2nd Amendment, 28% oppose, 16% no opinion..

What does this question even mean? What is "Supporting the 2nd Amendment"? No doubt many of the people above supporting background checks, waiting periods, and registration must believe they "support the 2nd Amendment" while many on this forum would say otherwise.