# Stupid Gun news of the day (Part 1) **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 29, 2013, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729 "2013-01-29T19:01:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 54
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 2:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1061 "2013-03-11T02:44:19Z")
> [@Ca3799](#): > > According to this recent news article, gun ownership is in steep decline. > > “All the stories about people rushing out to buy guns after recent mass shootings may give the impression that more Americans have guns at home. Yet a survey reveals that the percentage of U.S. homes with a gun has been in steady decline over the past four decades, with a surprisingly sharp drop in the South and Western mountain states. Whereas an average of 50 percent of households owned a gun in the 1970s, that number declined to 35 percent in the 2000s, with 34 percent of households reporting gun ownership in 2012, notes the New York Times.” > > The decline is attributed to decreased hunting, violent crime and rural living. Really? But is it true? > **[Self-Reported Gun Ownership in U.S. Is Highest Since 1993](https://news.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx)** > > Forty-seven percent of American adults currently report that they have a gun in their home or elsewhere on their property. This is up from 41% a year ago and is the highest Gallup has recorded since 1993. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1062 "2013-03-11T03:04:11Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Really? But is it true? > > [http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx](http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx) Yes; according to your cite, gun ownership has dropped from 54% of households in 1993, to 47% of households in 2011. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1063 "2013-03-11T03:21:19Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yes; according to your cite, gun ownership has dropped from 54% of households in 1993, to 47% of households in 2011. Gun ownership is the highest it has been since 93 though right? Up especially among democrats, woman and easterners, right? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1064 "2013-03-11T03:23:18Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Gun ownership is the highest it has been since 93 though right? Up especially among democrats, woman and easterners, right? Ownership is down overall since 1993. A single year does not trend make. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1065 "2013-03-11T03:26:11Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Ownership is down overall since 1993. A single year does not trend make. But it’s up pretty sharp as of late though isn’t it. My guess is it’s largely the Obama factor. He’s the best gun salesman ever, particularly of assault weapons. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1066 "2013-03-11T03:29:17Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > But it’s up pretty sharp as of late though isn’t it. My guess is it’s largely the Obama factor. He’s the best gun salesman ever, particularly of assault weapons. So why does your poll show a steady drop in gun ownership from 2008 (when he was elected), to 2010? ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1067 "2013-03-11T03:36:24Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > So why does your poll show a steady drop in gun ownership from 2008 (when he was elected), to 2010? Good question, so maybe it was more the Top Shot effect: > **[Top Shot | Reception](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Top_Shot#Reception)** > > The show drew 2.1 million total viewers in its debut episode. The viewers were categorized as adults 25–54 (1.3 million) and adults 18–49 (1.1 million). In August 2010, History Channel released an ad inviting people to audition for the second season of the show. Advertising began in late December for Top Shot Reloaded as the name for the second season. > Episode 1 of Season 2 premiered on February 8, 2011. The second-season premiere drew 2.8 million total viewers, categorized as adults 18–49 (1.4 ... Why do you think gun ownership when up so sharply in 2011? ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1068 "2013-03-11T03:38:38Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Why do you think gun ownership when up so sharply in 2011? Exceptional marketing by the NRA. It’s what they are good at. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1069 "2013-03-11T03:42:54Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Exceptional marketing by the NRA. It’s what they are good at. I’m glad of that, but did they get better at it in 2011? ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1070 "2013-03-11T03:50:04Z")
No, they just spent more on it. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1071 "2013-03-11T03:51:16Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > I’m glad of that, but did they get better at it in 2011? Yes, they pulled out all the stops and convinced more people that gun bans were imminent, and that expanded background checks were a slippery slope to seizure. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1072 "2013-03-11T04:01:45Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Yes, they pulled out all the stops and convinced more people that gun bans were imminent… Hmmm, pretty smart of them to know that was coming back in 2011. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1073 "2013-03-11T04:14:00Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Hmmm, pretty smart of them to know that was coming back in 2011. Since that perception was entirely manufactured by the NRA, I give them credit for it. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1074 "2013-03-11T04:20:17Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Since that perception was entirely manufactured by the NRA, I give them credit for it. Yeah, funny how the paranoid republicans turned out to be right. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1075 "2013-03-11T04:24:05Z")
Maybe part of it is youtube becoming more popular and people actually being able to see defensive gun use in action. ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1076 "2013-03-11T05:43:09Z")
Isn’t it obvious? Gun sales are not directly correspondent with gun ownership. More people have no gun at all, and more people have several. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1077 "2013-03-11T05:59:20Z")
> [@elucidator](#): > > Isn’t it obvious? Gun sales are not directly correspondent with gun ownership. More people have no gun at all, and more people have several. That was the thought, and gun sales have been doing great for some time. However in 2011 there was a sharp rise in gun ownership per household, particularly among people who prior didn’t own them so much; woman, easterners and democrats. Why do you think that’s so? ---
**Author:** ![elucidator](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8edcca/32.png) [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 7:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1078 "2013-03-11T07:34:06Z")
Its like there’s a knock at the door, and its **Kable** saying “Excuse, me, but do you have a minute to hear the good news about guns?” ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1079 "2013-03-11T12:37:48Z")
> [@Kable](#): > > Yeah, funny how the paranoid republicans turned out to be right. Right about things that haven’t happened yet? How would we know? Oh yeah, because the NRA told us so. ---
**Author:** ![Kable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kable)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2013, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729/1080 "2013-03-11T13:30:56Z")
> [@Fear\_Itself](#): > > Right about things that haven’t happened yet? How would we know? Oh yeah, because the NRA told us so. What do you mean it hasn’t happened yet? Gun prohibitionists are trying to pass the new assault weapon ban right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=53) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/stupid-gun-news-of-the-day-part-1/648729.md?page=55)