The total number of households, according to U.S. Census Bureau, in
1970 was 68,704,315, and with a 50% ownership rate that equates to guns
in 34,352,158 households.

The number Households in the US in 2010 was 114,800,000, and with a
32% ownership rate that would be about 37,000,000 households with guns.

That’s an increase in gun owning households of about 2.5 million.

And that’s just using the flawed NYT survey. The Gallup survey shows much higher household ownership rates…

http://www.gallup.com/poll/150353/Self-Reported-Gun-Ownership-Highest-1993.aspx

Did these two PhDs both make a ‘C’ level undergrad error or are they being deliberately misleading?

I also don’t understand how there is a lack of logic in focusing on mental health issues. A lot of mass shooters, the ones who are causing us to discuss all of this, have had some form of mental illness. It would be wonderful if they could have been understood more fully so that maybe they could have gotten help instead of ending lives.

For the record, I do agree that we need to be discussing how we allow people to obtain guns, and I am in favor of assault rifles being banned. That being said, these issues really go hand in hand. Someone who is mentally ill to the point of having fantasies about murdering a lot of people, but is unable to get a gun, is still being tortured and should be able to get help. Anyone should be able to go and get help if they don’t feel quite right.

I do have to admit that I still harbor a significant amount of prejudice against not-sane people who shoot up public places and kill lots of people for no reason. Most mentally ill people don’t go on mass murder sprees of course, but I think it would be hard to argue that those who end up going on such a spree are not mentally ill.

And as far as I can tell, almost everyone under the mainstream Sun has been focusing primarily on the guns and how the recent massacre will “change the debate” about them or whatever, not mental illness.

Hell, even 15 years ago my dad used to bring a real gun into schools and fire off a blank charge as part of a history demonstration.

Q: Why not focus on mental illness?
A: GUNS ARE TOTES BAD 115% OF THE TIME OKTHNXBAI

Admins, would you please edit the text with something along “Post originally written on XX/YY/ZZ” or so when you do this?

One is that, on the farm or in the country, you have a strong need for a .22 or a shotgun just as a pest deterrent. Many farmers I know aren’t really gun guys, but they still have one as one of the basic tools of rural living. With the transition to a more urban population, you have fewer guns owned for this purpose.

There’s also the fact that fewer of our households have a veteran living in them. Post WW2 or Korea, there were a large number of returning vets, and many of them continued their practice with firearms after returning. You see this a fair amount still, with people coming back from the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan and purchasing AR-15’s with controls similar to what they were trained with in the military.

Finally, with the rise of the urban and suburban ‘Gun Culture 2.0′, there has been an increase in the popularity of shooting sports. Practitioners of these games tend to practice a lot, buy a lot of ammunition, and in many cases buy large numbers of guns as they try out different models that their friends and competitors are using. Heck, just to show up for a  ‘3-gun’ competition (so named because they involve competing with a shotgun, a rifle, and a pistol) you need more guns in your household than the average farmhouse with a shotgun and a .22.

It’s called the CMP, they still run matches to teach children and adults proper shooting technique and firearms safety.

http://www.odcmp.com/