Has Gun Ownership in American Homes Really Decreased This Dramatically?

[n2sooners]

As the debate over gun rights continues in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, there’s some interesting — and dueling — research emerging about Americans and firearms. According to a report in the New York Times, gun ownership in U.S. homes has allegedly declined dramatically over the past four decades.

The 40-year decrease was found in the General Social Survey (GSS), a research initiative that is conducted every two years in an effort to study and gauge basic trends among the American populace (NORC, a research organization at the University of Chicago, is responsible for implementing the survey). The latest results found a downward trend in gun ownership since the late 1970s.

In was in the 1970s that 50 percent of the population, on average, reported having a gun in their household. This proportion dropped to 49 percent in the 1980s. But by the 1990s, it fell more dramatically to 43 percent, dipping even lower to 35 percent in the 2000s, the Times reports. In 2012, the rate was 34 percent, showcasing a steep decline when looking back just a few decades.

NRA spokesperson Andrew Arulanandam, though, has his doubts about the purported decline.

“I’m sure there are a lot of people who would love to make the case that there are fewer gun owners in this country, but the stories we’ve been hearing and the data we’ve been seeing simply don’t support that,” he told the Times.

Arulanandam, among others, would also likely cite Gallup’s research, which seems, contrary to the GSS, to show an increase since 2009 when asking if respondents have a gun in their homes. While the survey group has observed some dips in ownership since 1991, 47 percent of Americans told the organization that they had a gun in their household in 2011.

John Lott then goes on to point out that the director of the GSS is pro gun control and funded by the Joyce Foundation. The story doesn't however point out that they start off the survey by recording your address and the decline coincides with the drop in gun owner trust of the government.

source

 

[chuter]

No way I'm telling any survey taker what I have or don't have in my house; especially if they want my address (I wouldn't give them that either).

 

[Old Fart]

"According to a report in the New York Times..."
Hello!

 

[rlongnt]

Ask the FBI if the trend in NICS checks is in decline!

 

[jfssms]

I don't think so, just look at the AFMER stats as published by the BATF. 1998 report shows about 3.7M made, fast forward to the 2011 report shows about 6.5M made.
The trend of firearms made since the '98 report is upward big-time. you will need to scroll down for the report. http://www.atf.gov/statistics/

 

[abajaj11]

Fact 1. The number of gun sales has increased dramatically.
Fact 2. People's trust in government has eroded dramatically, especially people who own firearms.

Observation: A survey comes out showing that the number of households who reported to owning guns has declined.


Only a journalism major, some progressive useful idiot (i repeat myself) or someone deliberately distorting the facts would fail to see the following obvious inference:
The number of households ADMITTING to owning guns to some random progressive survey has declined dramatically.

This is so obviously an attempt by the no-longer-mainstream media to influence politicians who are ready to move away from the anti-2A agenda, that it is pathetic. Pathetic because all these politicians conduct their own internal polls, and they KNOW what will happen in 2014 if they try anything anti-2A.

 

[mr ed]

I watched the talking heads on msnbc talking about this. Several things pro and con came up in my head as they were talking. No 1. has the percentage of the population that owns guns decreased? Yes and no! we see an increase in the numbers of felons,dope heads, people under vpo's etc that can't legally posess a gun go up bigtime.
kids under 18 can't legally posess guns and childbirth over the last few years is up greatly.
I think if you remove these groups from the equation because they can't own guns anyways. the percentage would go up drastically. the gun control groups include them on purpose to dilute the real facts.

Also as 1 guy on there said "It would be interesting to see where they polled the people. NYC. Chicago, San Francisco? or heartland America"

As somebody else stated just exactly how many gun owners are going to tell a complete stranger calling on the phone whether or not you owned a gun.
Oh ! and you might as well tell them what time you go to work and the code for your safe and burglar alarm.

 

[Groundwire]

I would really like to know what "population" they got their responses from. Since it's a University of Chicago organization the polling sample is likely suspect I would think.

 

[Dale00]

Release all your biased pro-gun control studies and half truths now while gun control legislation is being considered. All part of the ongoing propaganda campaign.

 

[berserk]

BS more gun owners than ever, and more folks who dont kiss and tell because of current hostile actions by some lawmakers.