Major survey shows gun ownership declining

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By EMILY SWANSON

WASHINGTON (AP) — A major U.S. trend survey finds that the number of Americans who live in a household with at least one gun is lower than it's ever been. That decline is paralleled by a reduction in the number of Americans who hunt.

According to the latest General Social Survey, 32 percent of Americans either own a firearm themselves or live with someone who does, which ties a record low set in 2010. That's a significant decline since the late 1970s and early 1980s, when about half of Americans reported a gun in their household.

The drop is probably linked with a decline in the popularity of hunting, from 32 percent who lived in a household with at least one hunter in 1977 to less than half that number saying so now.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20150309/us--poll-gun_ownership-dfab95a281.html

[samsingh]

1. there are fewer animals now to kill.

[Adrahil]

36. That's actually NOT true....

In many places, the decline in hunting, and the absence of natural predators like wolves and cougars is leading to deer populations expanding out of control. This is BAD, since such overpopulation can lead to the deer population devastating feed vegetation leading to mass starvation.

This can be addressed by re-introducing predator species in remote areas, but in more populated areas, hunting is really the only way to deal with it.

[SecularMotion]

2. According to the gun nuts gun ownership is increasing

Last edited Mon Mar 9, 2015, 07:52 PM - Edit history (1)

They claim that gun owners are dishonest and will lie when asked if they own a firearm.

[former9thward]

4. The anti-rights nuts actually believe this nonsense.

[CreekDog]

39. another fight with liberals?

is this daily?

and now people who support gun control are "nuts"?

[former9thward]

46. Just using your language back at you.

Can't handle it?

[muriel_volestrangler]

45. So, in #3 you say gun owners lie to the surveys

and in #4 you say that people claiming that gun owners lie to the surveys is 'nonsense'.

Rarely do we see someone on DU contradict themselves in the very next post on a thread. Normally, someone else manages to post in between the opposing views. I congratulate you on your simultaneous doublethink!

[former9thward]

47. You really should read more carefully.

Sometimes reading carefully is important, like contracts. If you read contracts like you read posts here you may have big problems.

[muriel_volestrangler]

48. You should try (a) being consistent (b) defending yourself

[eggplant]

29. Perhaps there are fewer people owning guns...

...but those people keep buying more and more of them.

I would be curious to see statistics on the number of guns owned by individuals.

[Adrahil]

37. I own a LOT of guns.

Probably close to 20 at this point (havta check my log)

But only 3 are modern guns. The rest are all antiques (I collect antique military guns... mainly from the 19th century).

[former9thward]

3. Most people know better than to be truthful with these "surveys".

Who is going to tell a stranger on the phone that they have a gun? It easily could be a criminal figuring out what homes to break into. Guns are expensive. Would you tell a stranger that you had diamonds or a large amount of cash in the home? Maybe tell them the code to your safe....

[paleotn]

5. ummm humm, riiiight.

[Demeter]

9. No, former9thward is correct

I do not answer telephone surveys. With caller ID, I don't even pick up for strange numbers. I toss unsolicited mail. I avoid strangers and large groups. I don't get involved in marketing ploys of any kind.

Why should I?

And if I did by accident stumble upon one, I wouldn't answer a survey, anyway. It's nobody's damn business what I do, how or with whom or what. The day of the friendly, imbecile consumer is long over. Security starts with plugging information leaks, guns would be several steps down the list.

And the scammers that are out there, there's a police notice or an article in the Detroit paper at least once a week on somebody conned into becoming the latest victim. Not so many articles on catching the crooks, or shooting them, for that matter, even in Detroit.

[paleotn]

14. Ironically....

some just luv a poll, any poll, that agrees with their position on an issue, but are the first to exclaim "polls are hopelessly inaccurate!" when they don't. Funny how that works.

[CreekDog]

40. you also have posted that you think climate change is a not real

and is actually a conspiracy.

I don't bring this up to criticize you, but to point out that you're opinion is very far from being representative.

[Bjorn Against]

6. Laptops are also valuable, why don't people lie to pollsters about them?

64% of Americans say they own a laptop, laptops cost hundreds or often even thousands of dollars. If people lie about guns out of fear of theft why would they not lie about laptops as well?

http://www.gallup.com/poll/166745/americans-tech-tastes-change-times.aspx

[former9thward]

7. Most homes have computers.

That is common knowledge And no, a used laptop is not worth what most guns are.

[Demeter]

11. Computers have a limited resale value because they are instantly obsolete

The only value is the data upon them, and I don't know about you, but my library login id isn't worth a whole lot.

It's really hard to kill somebody with a computer...a lot of work. Also low chance of success.

[MillennialDem]

43. Instantly obsolete? Uh, no. I bought the fastest AMD processor almost a year ago and it's still the

fastest AMD processor.

Most young people and gamers upgrade desktops every 2-3 years.

[Bjorn Against]

13. Laptops are a commonly stolen item

Sure most homes have computers just as the poll I linked to shows. If what you say is true however and people are lying about guns out of fear of theft then it seems they would lie about laptops out of fear of theft as well, but the polls don't suggest that at all. Laptops are expensive, if you go buy one new in the store their cost is comparable to the cost of a gun.

[former9thward]

17. You don't buy stolen laptops in a store.

Check and see what used laptops go for. If you had $10,000 cash in your house would you tell a stranger on the phone all about it?

[Bjorn Against]

19. If your laptop is stolen it is expensive to replace it

And laptops do get stolen quite frequently.

Very few guns are worth $10,000 cash, a laptop is much more comparable to the cost of a gun than $10,000 cash is.

[RiverNoord]

21. ROFL - your comments about people being uncomfortable telling

surveyors that they have a gun because they might become a target of criminals seeking to rob them of their gun(s)... well, that's the funniest, bizarro world, insanely ironic argument about anything, anywhere, that I've heard for years!

You're probably right about the laptops, though...

My hat goes off to you - I haven't laughed so hard for months.

[former9thward]

24. Homes are not occupied 24 hours a day for the most part.

Burglars target homes. Its rarely random. Would you tell some random stranger on the phone you had $1000 cash in the home? If you would look in the mirror for another laugh.

[Kingofalldems]

8. Oh so you know they are lying?

[former9thward]

10. Lying? LOL

So that is what being cautious is called now.

[GGJohn]

30. Well, I would lie to an anonymous person asking me if I had firearms in my home,

and so would all my friends, so it's a safe bet that gun ownership isn't declining in the US, it's more likely that fewer firearms owners are refusing to answer such a question.
Judging by all the new FOID's issued by the ISP after their new CCW law passed, gun ownership is not declining, it's increasing.

[MillennialDem]

44. Why wouldn't said gun owners do that 30 years ago too then? Ok so now gun ownership is 50% instead

of 30%, but in the 1980s it was actually 70% even though the surveys concluded it was 50%.

It still shows a declining trend.

[Gormy Cuss]

12. As a former survey professional. the answer is MOST PEOPLE will be truthful

and this particular survey, the GSS, is a gold standard for measuring social change over time and is conducted by a leader in survey research. IOW, this isn't an amateur event.

Professional survey researchers actually have an array of tools to test resistance to answering truthfully on sensitive issues and how to overcome said resistance. You'd be surprised at just how candid most people are once they agree to participate (and survey researchers also have tools to estimate biases when resistance remains high.)

The snippet shows a possible explanation for the drop in households reporting having at least one gun and that is the decline in hunting.

[Demeter]

15. "once they agree to participate"

that's the hole in your leaky boat. Only the chronically lonely shut-ins have the time and are willing to talk about anything.

[Bjorn Against]

16. So are all polls comprised of data from chronically lonely shut-ins?

If you honestly believe what you said to be true I think it is you that is in the leaky boat. Scientists would not accept polling as a valid method of data collection if only lonely people were being polled.

[Gormy Cuss]

20. Nope, it doesn't work that way

Again, survey professionals know how to recognize and minimize reluctance to participate and they are constantly monitoring difference in attitudes by generation, by mode of contact, by geography, etc and adjusting methods to mitigate potential bias.

[doc03]

27. I would think if asked if I had a gun I would be inclined to say yes thinking

maybe they were going to do break-ins and a gun would scare them away. I believe the poll, I know many people now that used to hunt but no longer do and they don't have guns either. I believe there are more guns today but a smaller percentage of the people own them.

[former9thward]

32. Criminals target unoccupied homes.

Like most homes sometime in a 24 hour period.

[840high]

28. Correct.

[Lurks Often]

18. It seems to be a cyclic trend

Here are statistics from the past 30 years

http://www.statisticbrain.com/gun-ownership-statistics-demographics/

You'll note the lowest number was in 2000 and it trended up until 2007 when the rate started going back down. Give the ups and downs over the past 30 years, it would be premature to think that the decrease in the number of gun owners / capita will continue to trend down over the next 30 years.

[Gormy Cuss]

34. There are spikes but the overall trend is downward.

Chart those numbers and you'll see that even when the rate spikes up it doesn't spike high enough to reverse the decline since the first survey in that series.

[Lurks Often]

38. Granted, but there are more gun owners today then in 1973

And with 318 million people in this country, 34% is still a lot of people owning firearms.

It's more work then I feel like doing, but it might be interesting to chart where the US population is growing and compare gun ownership to that. Gun ownership has always been higher in the suburban and rural areas of the the country then in the urban areas. It might also be interesting to see how the economy is doing against gun ownership rates as well. Firearms, even used ones, aren't inexpensive if you are living paycheck to paycheck.

Like many issues, it is far more complex then what a couple of paragraphs on an internet discussion board would suggest

[madville]

22. I lost all mine

In a tragic boating accident

Seriously though, the overall percentage of convicted felons in this country is on the rise, around 10% now, that doesn't count people convicted of misdemeanor domestic violence or with restraining orders which typically prohibit firearm ownership as well.

[ileus]

23. Looks like people are finally learning guns kill people.

[hack89]

25. How many violent criminals were surveyed? Nt

[LanternWaste]

53. No more and no less than the amount of irrelevancies of yours on this thread.

No more and no less than the amount of irrelevancies of yours on this thread.

[hack89]

55. You just broke my irony meter. nt

[jmowreader]

26. The drop may also be linked to a decline in the economy

For most people guns are a luxury item - one of the things bought when money is plentiful, and sold when it's tight.

The big change in American gun ownership: while the number of households who have at least one gun is declining, the number of gun-owning households who have in excess of 20 of them is probably higher than it's ever been.

[Xipe Totec]

31. Attrition? nt

[JohnnyRingo]

33. I think there's some logic to this.

Here in Ohio CCW permits are down dramatically this year, including renewals. My theory is that while many jumped on the bandwagon when the law was passed (and Obama elected), time has brought out a typical human nature: laziness.

After spending months or maybe even a year or two of packing their piece everyday before heading out the door, most just began forgetting and left it on the nightstand. Eventually, the gun ended up in the 'ol underwear drawer along with unneeded Zippos and keychains. Since renewing the permit is something of a pain in the ass, that went the wayside as well. The result is like that of a fad that ran it's course, like a Furby on a garage sale table.

[Shamash]

35. Why is it actually relevant?

It may be interesting as a measure of social change, but from the standpoint of gun control it has no meaning. If you do not understand what I mean, consider if the same survey had been done on motorcycle ridership. Would a decline in the number of people riding motorcycles justify banning or more strictly controlling motorcycle ownership? Would a decline in the number of people admitting they are homosexual be a rallying cry for those who want to restrict their rights? Of course not.

The fact remains that of those who do own firearms, more than 99.9% are not, have not and never will be "gun criminals", and calls to restrict them should be measured on the same scale as we control alcohol, given that more than 99.9% of all drinkers are not "drunken criminals" either (and given the number of drunken driving deaths, an entirely relevant comparison from a public safety and health standpoint).

If their numbers are declining, it has no bearing on rights or control, and if their numbers are increasing, likewise. The only possible meaning it could have is for those who are unethical enough to think "fewer of ‘those people’ means a better chance of suppressing them with the government." (just ask George Takei about stereotyping, insults and ignorant, mindless fear of non-criminal minorities)

[Gormy Cuss]

49. It's relevant because it's a measure of social change.

Last edited Tue Mar 10, 2015, 09:00 PM - Edit history (2)

The trend is that fewer households have guns. The why may be any number of things but one suggestion is that it's tied to a decline in hunting.
There are also some regression analyses correlating gun ownership rate with homicide rates (P.J.Cook, Jens Ludwig) thus changes in gun ownership rates may have a social cost attached.

[Nitram]

41. I believe the trend is towards fewer gun owners and...

...more guns per owner.

[jpak]

42. The gun nuts are hoarding fucking guns and ammo

grab 'em

yup

[Marengo]

56. Grab what, and from whom?

[jpak]

59. Fucking ratfuck GOP Gun Nut guns

yup

[Marengo]

61. Nearly incoherent...

But, if I understand correctly, you're advocating seizing arms from persons who are members or supporters of the GOP?

[lynne]

50. I wouldn't hold much stock in these figures

as I seriously doubt that a majority of gun owners would admit to owning one via a survey. I wouldn't tell anyone what I had in my home via a survey as it's a good way to get set up for a burglary.

The only way we'll know how many guns are in households is if every gun is registered. Pretty sure that's never going to happen.

[alarimer]

51. Good.

People are coming to their senses.

[ileus]

54. Hopefully people will start waking up and take advantage of their 2A rights.

[greatlaurel]

57. The gun paranoia propaganda is being used in desperation to try to goose the sales of weapons.

The greedy manufacturers know the number of people buying guns are dropping. This demographic trend has been known for some time. This is not a new fact, but is good to see it reiterated. The gun manufacturers are desperate to try to boost sales anyway they can. The NRA and other gun pusher groups have developed a brilliant, albeit evil, marketing campaign to push their deadly products.

The gun culture is simply a marketing tool to sell guns, ammo and accessories to people who have no need for any of these items. It is another example of conspicuous consumption. These people are no different than the ninnies who are convinced they need the "latest" fashion in clothing or electronic gadgets.

The thing that is the most dismaying is the racism used by the gun marketers to boost their sales. As LBJ said all those years ago, ""If you can convince the lowest white man that he's better than the best colored man, he won't notice you're picking his pocket. Hell, give him somebody to look down on, and he'll even empty his pockets for you."

Fools and their money are easily parted.

[Ragrum]

58. Golf is alos Declining

people just have less disposable income for toys.

[Dawson Leery]

60. The problem is that gun ownership is shifting towards the right.

The same people who threaten violence (and commit mass shooting) are going to be the majority of citizens with firearms.