Gun Ownership: Stats Misleading
We’ve all heard a lot of stories about the increased sales of guns and ammo, especially in the wake of Obama’s election. I don’t doubt those stats; apparently they reflected the fear that Obama would somehow find a way to singlehandedly repeal the 2nd Amendment.
But those stats don’t tell the whole story. While the number of guns being sold has increased, the percentage of households with guns continues a decades long decline. It appears that a relatively small number of people individually own a lot of firearms, while more and more Americans are simply forgoing the purchase of a gun.
Lots of factors, from urbanization to lower crime rates, have surely had an impact. And to my surprise, this is 30+ year trend.