Liars figure
Here’s a presser on why gun nuts aren’t important because there are so few of us. It says:
Contrary to public claims by the gun industry and the gun lobby, firearms ownership has declined dramatically over the past 35 years according to new survey data from the General Social Survey (GSS) released today by the National Opinion Research Center (NORC) at the University of Chicago.
Well, the problem with their statement is that, err, no one in the gun lobby is saying that. At least that I know of. What we (and by we, remember that to the VPC I am the gun lobby too) have been saying is that there was a decline for decades in gun ownership but recently (specifically after 9/11, Katrina and liberal CCW laws) gun ownership has increased quite a bit. Specifically, handgun sales have increased. And this increase was the first increase in probably decades. And there’s also the fact that gun makers are still making guns. Where do those go? See past posts on gun sales here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Bitter has more and notes:
More than a third of American homes have guns. I bet that’s more than have the hottest selling gaming device.
April 11th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Unfortunately, when you look up “gun” on Google, guess what the first link is that pops up…
April 11th, 2007 at 11:38 am
That’s assuming also that the people whom the pollsters are surveying are telling them the truth. Many gun owners –including me — would probably not admit to owning guns if a complete stranger called out of the blue and asked them about it.
I suspect that people would be even more reluctant to admit to owning a gun if they live in a jurisdiction where it’s either illegal or heavily regulated. Hence, it’s not surprising that states like Hawaii would have the lowest rates of gun ownership. I doubt I would tell anyone if I lived there.
April 11th, 2007 at 2:02 pm
The only ones they are counting are the new guns; hell, over a dozen of mine were bought second hand, so how do they know how many people own guns that they bought in private sales?
April 11th, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Not in my house, dude.
Go to a magazine rack and pick up any buyers’ guide or a 2007 Gun Digest and check out all of the various options that the
nefariousgun manufactureres include in thier multitude of offerings to make people like me walk into a gun store, with no intention of making a purchase, and walk out loaded for bear, but light in the wallet.I simply don’t believe this claim.
It sounds like some kind of Pew Trust Research drivel to me.
April 11th, 2007 at 10:22 pm
Yep, If you don’t like something or someone, just pretend it, they don’t exist. Earthtimes? That’s a hippie rag right? Violence Policy Center? That’s an anti-gun group isn’t it? Don’t know who their trying to fool. Maybe if they wish real hard, we’ll all just vanish?