Poll shows gun ownership in decline
Is Gun Ownership Really Down In America?
By John R. Lott Published March 12, 2015 FoxNews.com
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/03/12/is-gun-ownership-really-down-in-america.html
We should be very careful of relying too heavily on polling to gauge the level of gun ownership.
In a 2003 book of mine, I quoted Smith as saying that the large drop in gun ownership would “make it easier for politicians to do the right thing on guns” and pass more restrictive regulations.
Other gun control advocates have mentioned to me that they hope that if people believe fewer people own guns, that may cause others to rethink their decision to own one themselves. It is part of the reason they dramatically exaggerate the risks of having guns in the home.
A 2011 Gallup poll with the headline “Self-Reported Gun Ownership in U.S. Is Highest Since 1993” appears to have gotten no news coverage.
The ABC News/Washington Post poll shows an even more stable pattern, with household gun ownership between 44 and 46 percent in 1999. In 2013, the ownership rate was 43 percent.
There are other measures that suggest that we should be very careful of relying too heavily on polling to gauge the level of gun ownership.
For example, the nationally number of concealed handgun permits has soared over the last decade: rising from about 2.7 million in 1999 to 4.6 million in 2007 to 11.1 million in 2014. The National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) shows that the number of gun purchases has grown dramatically over time – doubling from 2006 to 2014.
In Illinois, to own a gun people are required to obtain a Firearm Owner Identification (FOID) card. The number of people with those cards as soared from a little over 1 million in 2010 to 1.8 million this month.
One obvious caution is that not everyone feels comfortable noting that they own guns. A recent Zogby Analytics survey asked, "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?” Thirty-five percent of current gun owners said it was none of pollsters’ business.
People who claim that they are not gun owners are slightly more likely to answer this way.
Gun Ownership Up 50% In 20 Years
https://www.aei.org/publication/chart-of-the-day-more-guns-less-gun-violence-between-1993-and-2013/
