Ye Greate US Mass Shooting thread

[PopeyesPappy]

According to the Pew Research Center about 1 in 3 US household has a gun.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/the-demographics-and-politics-of-gun-owning-households/

[Gawdzilla Sama]

According to the Pew Research Center about 1 in 3 US household has a gun.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/the-demographics-and-politics-of-gun-owning-households/

Actually, it says

"Overall, about a third of all Americans with children under 18 at home have a gun in their household, including  34% of families with children younger than 12. That’s nearly identical to the share of childless adults or those with older children who have a firearm at home."

[josephpalazzo]

I think I've mentioned that fifty of my relatives have a collective 7,000+ guns, with the rest of them having diminishing numbers. This, if extrapolated to the general population, would skew the results with regard to individual ownership, I think. The hypergunners make it seem like everybody in the US is armed, which I suspect is not the case. They certainly don't have as many guns per person as non-US sources would have us think.

According to the Pew Research Center about 1 in 3 US household has a gun.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/07/15/the-demographics-and-politics-of-gun-owning-households/

Actually, it says

"Overall, about a third of all Americans with children under 18 at home have a gun in their household, including  34% of families with children younger than 12. That’s nearly identical to the share of childless adults or those with older children who have a firearm at home."

Let's break this down, using ballpark numbers: 89 firearms for every 100 residents. Consider that 50% of people are divorced, and a birthrate of 1.9, that brings the family average of 3.4 people per family ( 1.5 + 1.9), so that's 89 firearms per 30 families or every family owes on average 3 firearms - very close to what PopeyesPappy has posted.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

You don't account for the hypergunners, like my relatives. That was my point. Burt Gummer Lives!!!

[josephpalazzo]

You don't account for the hypergunners, like my relatives. That was my point. Burt Gummer Lives!!!

When you take a class average on a test, say an average of 60%, there will be some with 90%, like some in the 10%. It's math, dummy... ;-)

[stromboli]

You don't account for the hypergunners, like my relatives. That was my point. Burt Gummer Lives!!!

Just like everything else, it is a statistical pattern that doesn't necessarily represent the whole picture. When I worked at one segment at Hill-aircraft welder- virtually everybody, including me, were multiple gun owners. Where I worked last, as a technical editor, virtually everybody (again including me-I got rid of my guns for personal reasons) had no guns.

Where I live now there are very few people that own guns. I know this for reasons I won't get into. I could go to another area and be in a place where there are multiple gun owners.

If you go to a gun show you will see a certain bracket of society. Go to an art show a different one. Interestingly, I have been to both. It is never a simple and easily defined picture.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

When you take a class average on a test, say an average of 60%, there will be some with 90%, like some in the 10%. It's math, dummy... ;-)

Me no math, but if we say there's one gun for every three Americans, and fifty of my relatives have on average 170 guns I think that's some kind of number.

[josephpalazzo]

Me no math, but if we say there's one gun for every three Americans, and fifty of my relatives have on average 170 guns I think that's some kind of number.

I'm not sure if you are joking or being serious, but why am I always surprised as to how dumb people are when it comes to deal with fractions/percentage...

[stromboli]

I'm not sure if you are joking or being serious, but why am I always surprised as to how dumb people are when it comes to deal with fractions/percentage...

My maximum was 7 guns at one time. I knew people that had 3 times that number. Everybody I'm aware of now, other than myself, own none.

[josephpalazzo]

My maximum was 7 guns at one time. I knew people that had 3 times that number. Everybody I'm aware of now, other than myself, own none.

Is this a replay of Dumb and Dumber to?

[GreatLife]

I actually own a bunch of guns - haven't counted recently but at least 20.  I collect them.  Still have the first gun that I shot a pheasant with... Still have the first gun that I killed a deer with... Still have the first gun that my dad ever gave me.  Have the shotgun that my grandfather used for 40 years.  I have an H&H 375 that was used to kill a large grizzly bear... will never use that gun again and will never sell it. They all mean something to me.

And honestly, I haven't shot a gun in nearly 5 years.

I would be considered a gun nut by any measure... but if you met me you would never guess that I have a cache of guns like I do.  I don't talk about them.  They are not a part of my everyday life... but they are a part of the historical me.

Many of my friends are just like me. They love guns.  Have a lot of guns.  Rarely, if ever, do they shoot their guns.  But they would fight like hell if you tried to take their guns away - because they mean something to them - and it is something that can't be replaced.  My grandfather and father are both dead... and having the 50 year old weapons that they used for hunting really means something to me.  If they told me I had to turn in my guns - I would hide them... quietly.

There are no easy answers - but you are setting yourself back quite a bit by throwing all gun owners into a single bin of maniacs and crazies.  By and large, I trust cops and security officers less with their guns (they have limited training and no street smarts on guns) than I do my buddies - who have used and respected guns their whole lives. 

[josephpalazzo]

I actually own a bunch of guns - haven't counted recently but at least 20.  I collect them.  Still have the first gun that I shot a pheasant with... Still have the first gun that I killed a deer with... Still have the first gun that my dad ever gave me.  Have the shotgun that my grandfather used for 40 years.  I have an H&H 375 that was used to kill a large grizzly bear... will never use that gun again and will never sell it. They all mean something to me.

And honestly, I haven't shot a gun in nearly 5 years.

I would be considered a gun nut by any measure... but if you met me you would never guess that I have a cache of guns like I do.  I don't talk about them.  They are not a part of my everyday life... but they are a part of the historical me.

Many of my friends are just like me. They love guns.  Have a lot of guns.  Rarely, if ever, do they shoot their guns.  But they would fight like hell if you tried to take their guns away - because they mean something to them - and it is something that can't be replaced.  My grandfather and father are both dead... and having the 50 year old weapons that they used for hunting really means something to me.  If they told me I had to turn in my guns - I would hide them... quietly.

There are no easy answers - but you are setting yourself back quite a bit by throwing all gun owners into a single bin of maniacs and crazies.  By and large, I trust cops and security officers less with their guns (they have limited training and no street smarts on guns) than I do my buddies - who have used and respected guns their whole lives. 

That might seem as reasonable for you to keep your guns, but put it in a different perspective, there are 40,000 deaths/year due to guns ( I'm counting crimes, accidents and suicides by guns). Even if a total ban on guns would save 1,000 of those deaths (2.5%), that far outweighs your desire to keep your guns for nostalgic reasons.

[Baruch]

But ... but my desire for dictatorship outweighs your desire to protect yourself, your family or your business ;-)

Frankly human life isn't worth much ... I know almost nobody will admit it ... but with 7 billion people now ... it is true.  And in dollar terms, since the dollar isn't worth the paper it is printed on ... that pretty much means a human life is worthless.  Personally, I value life ... but most people will kill their neighbor in a pinch.

[GreatLife]

That might seem as reasonable for you to keep your guns, but put it in a different perspective, there are 40,000 deaths/year due to guns ( I'm counting crimes, accidents and suicides by guns). Even if a total ban on guns would save 1,000 of those deaths (2.5%), that far outweighs your desire to keep your guns for nostalgic reasons.

Way more people die from alcohol and cars.  Why are you not banning them... if not for nostalgic reasons.

I suggest it is due to the irrational fear that liberals have about guns.  And the irrational response by gun fanatics...

What we need is intelligent debate - not more liberal ultimatums about taking away everyone's guns.  One could lead to solutions, the other only trouble.

[josephpalazzo]

Way more people die from alcohol and cars.  Why are you not banning them... if not for nostalgic reasons.

I suggest it is due to the irrational fear that liberals have about guns.  And the irrational response by gun fanatics...

What we need is intelligent debate - not more liberal ultimatums about taking away everyone's guns.  One could lead to solutions, the other only trouble.

Funny is that most left-wing members of this forum see me as right-wing. Go figure.

On another note, I don't see the gun issue in terms of left/right politics. I see it as a logical issue, which I will reiterate: if everyone around you owns a gun, you are more likely to want to own a gun (NRA propaganda is working very well in the US with this argument). Reverse that logic: if no one around you owns guns, then it is most likely that you will not seek to own a gun (that which the NRA doesn't want you to think).