I grew up with guns. I was taught properly how to use them and the risks involved with them. While they can be unnerving to people who are not familiar with them, in my experience the more I learned and knew about guns, the more responsible and confident I felt around them. I firmly believe that before owning a gun, it's important to be educated about them. It's the familiarity and education which has brought responsibility and confidence not just around guns but other dangerous items and activities.

I'll go out on a limb here, and say efforts to educate people about guns, would be more effective and less controversial to lower accidental shootings, than pushing for legislation that makes it difficult to own a gun.

I'm not sure that it's an either/or question. But in a less bifurcated way, it's still a great question: does possession of a firearm neccessarily affect one's views of society, and if so, how?

For my part, I was staunchly anti-gun for years until I realized what a fetish the gun debate is (a fetish of course being a part of something which purports to represent the whole). The problem isn't guns. The problem is violence. And the gun debate appears to me to be a huge distraction from examining the causes and possible solutions to why the United States in particular is so murderous.

To answer your question, " Does gun ownership and use change one’s outlook towards the world?" I think that certain segments of the U.S. population are more inclined to own guns, but that there is probably no straight-across-the-board delimination. The stereotype is that most people who own guns tend to be conservative, perhaps Republican types, or the much lampooned "redneck" personality, in most cases male, but increasingly female. Or they are gangsters. In rarer instances, they are people on the far left who believe that progressive need to protect themselves against the excesses of the right by owning guns. The communist and socialist sympathizers and movements around the world, e.g. in S.E. Asia, Maoist China, Peru (Shining Path), Colombian drug gangs, Mexican drug cartels -- all come to mind. However, this stereotype has its exceptions. One of my best friends is a die-hard liberal, progressive, Ralph Nader-type, yet he is the proud owner of a hunting rifle -- obstensibly for sport, but maybe also for protection. He is just one of a small number of liberal gun owners (do a web search for that term).

I think that education on guns is very important from a young age, especially if they are around the house. It is key to know the proper way to use them, the issues, and the scary consequences/ dangers of them. I don't know how I feel about individuals owning guns... I see the protection level of them, but I also see the danger. If a person is to have a gun in their household... first they need to be well educated and second they need to make sure the rest of the family is as well. i still don't think this stops crazy people from doing the wrong things with guns, therefore... i am not sure exactly how I feel about them.

I don't think that gun ownership changes one's perspective on the world, but I DO think that if you take into account the reason for someone owning/not owning a gun, that will provide some phenomenal insight into their psyche. I also really enjoyed the Mother Jones comment section, for a pretty liberal site, it had some decent debate coming from both sides!

I think that having a gun makes the head of the household feel safer although this is not always the reality. There have been a rising number of accidental deaths or suicides due to gun ownership over the past three decades which may be a cause to the declining gun ownership in the household. Many children who wish to commit suicide will use a gun if it is easily accessible to them. While guns provide the opportunity for death, they also provide the feeling of protection and I think everyone should be able to buy a gun but they should also know how t educate their family about guns and keep it hidden from children and separate the bullets from the gun.

I'm not sure if gun ownership and use would change one's outlook towards the world, but I would assume that it would give the owner some control over certain situations. Like they have some of the power to protect their property and loved ones for good purposes. Yes, there are a couple dangers with having a gun in a household, but there is nothing like some good safety precautions (under lock and key) and something as gun education while children are young at age, that would help sort some of the danger out.

While I am unsure of whether or not I would want to own a gun in the future, I believe that there is nothing wrong with doing so. Robberies are common enough to where it would make sense for many people to have a gun. So when I look at this case in terms of facts, the main story I see is that people in the US need the feeling of being safe and secure, which is why so many own a gun (I do not mean this condescendingly). I initially do not see anything wrong with this statistic, however I realize that it may create room for potential racial comments.

I do not believe that owning a gun changes one's outlook on the world as I do not think that it allows someone to become more trusting.. I think people that own guns still believe that the world is not a perfect place in any way, so they still are cautious and are on their toes. Owning a gun I believe can make people feel safer and more secure with having the weapon in their house for protection, but I do not think a gun can change one's view of the world. And also maybe the declining number of guns for households could be be due to the more advanced security technology in the last years, but who knows maybe people do not feel as safe with having a weapon in their homes. Anyways, I probably would not have a gun in my house just because it could be used against me or somethiung accidental could happen that wouldn't have if the gun wasn't there. Guns cannot change people's awareness and persepctive of how the world really is.

Although I do not think that owning a gun changes ones lookout on the world, I feel that it may have an impact on those around them. Especially if a family has young children around who may be curious and wander, it is important to keep the gun secure and away. As the children get older, I feel that it is important to know how the gun works to keep themselves safe and prevent accidental deaths from happening by firing a gun and not knowing that the safety was off or that the gun was loaded. The owner of the gun may feel safer knowing that they can prevent an assault or home invasion, yet the other members of the house may feel threatened, knowing that, although this is a horrid scenario, the gun could also be pulled on them.

We as human beings possess a strong self-preservation urge and a gun is very often the best tool one can have on hand to counter a threat to one's life, and/or the lives of one's family members. Police cannot protect citizens, and even if they could, they do not have an obligation to do so. One must accept responsibility for one's own security. To deny a human the right to defend him or herself from any threat is the most grievous crime against humanity that I could be done.Especially if criminals thought of how many people owned guns in a community they would probably think twice about entering anyone of those homes. The criminal would no longer have an actual threat over another person.

I think that owning a gun probably does say a lot about your outlook on life, although I am not sure what that might be. Living in a wide variety of places from small town to suburbs to big cities I can tell you that the people in those different communities have very different outlooks on gun ownership and what that means to them. I would also argue that they would have vastly different outlooks on society. I think at the end of the day it is about how you are raised and what experiences you have had that shape your views on society and that owning a gun in secondary to that but also proof of where you are brought up.

My family owns a gun; it's my mom's and her dad gave it to her and taught her how to use it and shoot decently well. She keeps the bullets and the gun separate from each other. My brother and I are not technically supposed to know where it is, though we do. What I never understood was why, if my mom kept it for protection, would she keep it hidden from everyone in the house. Always seemed to me idiotic; it can't help anybody if it's stashed away from the very people it's meant to protect. But that's beside the point. I personally know that my family feels safer knowing that there's a gun in the house, though my mother is the only one who can use it and it would probably do the rest of us more harm than it would help. I can't say that I'm any more confident knowing it's there, since I'd miss everything even if I did try to shoot it. I'd be much more comfortable defending myself with knives or blunt weapons. But for those who know how to use it, I'm sure it is a necessary thing to have, and the decline it rates of gun ownership in this country is unsubstantial considering its comparison to the rest of the world.

When it comes to the topic of gun ownership, I will say that I am very right-winged. I strongly believe in the Second Amendment. I think gun ownership allows people to feel safer in their homes, or even in general. Gun ownership is crucial to help protect one's life and/or property if needed. I also think it would be unfair to honest citizens if a criminal became in possession of a firearm and killed another person as a result of the victim being unable to defend them-self effectively against the threat. I also firmly believe in education of firearm owners to ensure that they are used in a safe manner. I also stress background investigation of prospective gun owners to help ensure that serious criminals cannot possess a firearm, (at least through a legal process).

I personally feel safer knowing there are guns somewhere around my house because of the crimes depicted on the news. I have shot a gun before in my life, but I don’t know where the guns are. My dad was a cop when he was younger, so he knows how to use a gun and stuff like that. I would like to own a gun when I am older, and learn how to properly handle it. Just in case, God forbid, that something happens that I would ever need a gun. I don’t see anything wrong with owning at least one, or two guns just to be cautious’ as long they aren’t illegal guns like AK’s.

Personally, I am pro-gun ownership. My parents are police officers, and my whole life I have had guns simply lying around on my parent's belt when they took them off when they came back home during work. However, from a young age, they thought me the rights and wrongs of guns themselves, and thus never had any temptation to go anywhere near the instrument. As the people above me have said, it is not the gun itself that causes violence. It is the violence tendencies of the people themselves. Most people have heard this argument before, so I will spare the details.

In terms of gun ownership going down, I think that the cause may be recent events such as Columbine, Virginia Tech, the Dark Knight shooting, and the like. There has always been gun violence such as this, but the media has evolved in the last few decades to an extent in which this events are known by ALL people around the world. People no longer wish to own guns by seeing the pain that they have caused in these events.

I think that owning a gun gives someone that much more responsibility to deal with it. They have to keep watch of the gun to make sure all is safe. I personally haven't been a big fan of keeping guns at home because people can get hurt. It is one thing if you carry a gun for safety, but at the same time it can be slightly scary. Anyone can be harmed. Those who haven't owned guns before may feel unsure and unaware of all of the aspects of a gun and those who have are mostly aware of the procedures and care of a gun. Overall I would say that guns in the home are not the best idea.

The topic of gun ownership is something all based on personal opinion, as if it is considered "okay" can be different towards each individual. I believe it is okay for someone to hold a gun in their own home yet it seems appropriate for them to be locked up in a safe. I personally know families who have lost a child because another child found a gun and it was solely a mistake. Having firearms in your home is a way of protection and a feeling of safety yet it should all be handled properly and in best means.

I am not sure I truly understand the craze of gun ownership. And maybe that means we are in a cultural shift away from the NEED to have a firearm. My family is pretty pro gun ownership, but if I ask them if they ever had to defend their home with a firearm they will say no. Maybe because it is a right in our Constitution that people feel like they need a gun? I am not sure. I do understand the use of shotguns/rifle for hunting purposes, but why do people need handguns/assault type rifles that are obviously not used for hunting? Also maybe the past decade of war and violence that we see on the news is something that people want to get away from and that is why they turn away from buying guns.

Gun ownership is something that we have always had as a country and it's hard to argue both sides of "should we or shouldn't we." I think we would be a lot better off without any sort of firearm in a household. While being used for safety, it can easily turn ugly. My step-mother works for the FBI and is very protective about the firearm and would never let it near anyone but there are many who are more nonchalant about it. In these cases harm can be caused quite easily. It's a double edged sword really, but I feel the less the better

I think that it is hard to determine whether or not owning a gun changes your outlook on life and the world. My family and i have never owned a gun because we have never felt the need. For many people owning a gun offers them a sense of security and others may own then for recreational purposes. But generally i believe that if you own a gun you think that there are bad things in the world that you need to protect yourself from. It is also a right and something that is not regulated at strongly in the u.s as it is in china.

I think people just do not feel the need to own guns anymore. It is as simple as that, we have people in the community that are there to protect us and they are the ones who are trusted with the guns and "production of sudden death". At first I was surprised that we as a country has so many guns but the more I think about it, it becomes less shocking and I now want to know what other countries rules about gun ownership and their laws. We have it pretty easy when it comes to owning guns due to the second amendment.

Gun ownership, I believe, affects the lives of those who ARE NOT in possession of a gun. My father is a retired police sergeant and I grew up guns all around the house. I never was curious about them or anything. Growing up, I just knew they were "daddy's" and not to touch them. Later, he taught me how to hand them properly and what they were used for. It does create a different mind set though. In our world, at any given moment, someone can walk up to you with a gun and take your money or even your life. I believe that the quote, "Live each day as if it were your last", has been enstilled in my brain because of the gun ownership in my family. A gun is just a tool. You use it when it is actually necessary and make sure it works every now and then.

I agree with Kayla that when people have guns in their house, they have a greater responsibility. They have to make sure to keep it hidden so that their children don't get a hold of it and hurt themselves. I think they make people feel safer, but like Lauren said, I don't think it changes their views. I think the number decreasing in household is because of the high tech security devises now. Your whole house can be alarmed when and intruder breaks in and the system will automatically call the police. Also, there are glass doors that are made that are much harder to break then regular glass doors. We have those in our house and it makes me feel more comfortable when I stay home alone. I don't like guns in the house because they are so deadly and I don't want them in my house.

I think the decline is due to a change in culture. I would say primarily the male population has changed. I know many young men my age who have never fired a gun in their life. This would be unheard of 30 years ago. The normally argument would be how old does a son have to be till his dad gets him his first BB gun. But, thanks to a divorce rate of over 50% and more and more fatherless children, the stander activities what turn a boy to a man just aren’t there. I think that guns are due to a comeback; thanks to video games like Call of Duty more and more people are becoming interested in guns. I would also blame gangs for this decline. Because of gang violence guns are getting a bad name. Gang violence is down in LA, but so is gun ownership. But I believe as violence decreases, gun sale will actually increase.

Since many major events that dealt with mass shootings in the US, I think that's why less people are owning guns. We are still the highest because people still embrace that constitutional right. A lot of my family members own firearms simply for recreation. The issue that is still lingering is the fact that getting firearms are so easy from untrustworthy hands.

I believe the second amendment was meant for a a time when their was a danger of living under an unjust government that could possibility become overpowering, such as before the independence of the United States. Now I see really no need for a household owning a gun. If the claim is to protect one's family from threat, the only time when a gun would be needed would be when the threat is from another gun. If no one had a gun in the first place their would be no need for guns. We look at past events that have been caused by guns, the shootings as Columbine, Arizona, and Denver just to name a few. SO many have lost their lives unjustly because of guns.
I do however agree that people do have the right to own a gun. However the process by which people go through to obtains gun, in my opinion is not strict enough. The events named above happened because guns fell into the hands of people that clearly should not have had a gun in the first place.
The rules by which people can obtain a gun should be looked over in order to prevent more tragedies from happening.

i dont think that owning a gun can change one's outlook on the world. It is just a way to protect yourself of family if anything dangerous happens, or even a form of entertainment. It can be fun to go to a shooting range occasionally, but it doesn't make you change your views on life. My father has a safe in the garage where he keeps guns and he only uses them when we go to the shooting range. And of course he has a gun for safety. The fact that my father owns a gun does not change his values or view on life in anyway. it is mainly just for protection and occasional fun.

I think that times have changed. It was once necessary to own guns for the protection of oneself and his family. I believe that in today's society we are safer than ever. The police force is becoming more active in the protection for the city that they work in. The threat of being attacked is constantly being lowered every day. I think that the fewer people that have guns, the less likely it is for one crazy person to go on a rampage. Although if more people have guns, there is more of a chance of stopping a crazy person on a rampage, guns promote violence, whether against people or animals.

Morgan's comment got it right on target. People always refer back to the second amendment to defend the right to own a gun but very few of those same people understand the circumstances in which this amendment was conceived. There was no police force in the time of this amendment's inception and so the government granted its citizens' this right in order to protect themselves from harm. But in today's age where we live in a country that has an extremely active and invasive police force to protect us why is it so important for every household to carry a weapon? Now I'm not saying to eliminate the use of guns by citizens, that would be extremely unrealistic. Gun control however is something we as a country need to be more open about discussing. Background checks, limits on ammunition, and other regulations must be instated in order to guarantee the safety of this country and its citizens.

If people don’t own guns, I think they are more likely to trust others. If people do own guns, then they are probably not so trusting of others. I understand people can argue that it’s to “keep their loved ones or possessions safe”, but it may also be dangerous. If the wrong kinds of people own a gun, they will probably be used improperly. If you own a gun, it will probably make you look at the world differently, like if it’s a dangerous one. If you don’t own one, your outlook on life will probably be that everybody is good and there is no need for guns. Gun ownership should only be given to people who are educated and have a clean record.

For my family, owning a gun was a sense of needed security. After dealing with a traumatic break-in/in-home invasion experience, my Dad's first instinct was to buy a gun; whether it was for fundamental security purposes of merely a feeling of more power after such a helpless experience. Gun ownership, more prevalently, is being deemed as negative and potentially dangerous; while guns can kill, they do not have to. Society has adopted this "fear of the unknown" mentality, but perhaps education about guns and their purposes and proper use would minimize this fear. While it is, in a sense, tragic that guns have become a safety blanket and means of protection, it is a reality and we should adjust to such.

In my family the only gun I ever knew about was a pellet gun my grandpa had to keep the rabbits from eating my grandma's roses. I know my brother has gone to shooting ranges a couple times; he even used to work at one for a while. In my opinion owning a gun is a person's choice. Now a days guns are used more for protection than hunting, well in California. My uncle in Hawaii has a gun to hunt deer with. I think owning a gun and how it is used depends on the person and their upbringing. I wouldn't mind owning a gun for my own protections because there are a lot of creeps out there now. There are the gang members that carry around guns, but that also is mainly for protection. I think a lot of injuries could be avoided if people had more education about guns. Owning a gun can have a big difference on how someone views society. Owning a gun for protection means you don't trust people, simple as that.

I personally think that owning a gun is really normal. People have the rights to buy and own weapons in America. A gun is not dangerous by itself, it can't kill anyone by itself. It depends on how the owner choose to use it. Guns can be used for different purposes. People own guns for hunting, sports, protection or sometimes for their own collections. Guns owners must be responsible to their guns because they can turn into very dangerous tools in someone else's hands.
The reason why there is a decrease in "households" that own guns because of the society is getting safer and safer day by day so people don't really feel the need for firearms in their homes. I totally agree with Morgan's comment, but i would have a gun in my house if i could because sometimes police can not come on time. Those couple seconds could really change your life if you don't have something to protect yourself while waiting for the police to show up.

I do not believe that owning a gun is solely about safety. I believe that people should be able to own any kind of weapon that they want because in reality the criminals are not going to follow the law anyway. I believe that more people should own guns because then the threat of criminal action would be that you know someone else has a gun and they would be defending themselves. In addition, this information is based on the public REPORTING gun ownership to the government. If people want to believe that gun ownership is down then let them, but people should look at the sources that presented this information and honestly do a full information search. I believe they would find different results.

I feel that the decline in gun ownership has to due with the higher difficulty in obtaining the weapons. In the last five years it has become much more difficult to reigister and go through the correct process of getting a gun. I think that the increases of regulation are part of the reason that poeple are not trying to keep guns at home. I do think, however; that guns are a necessity in modern day society in maintaing person safety. I have been around guns from a early age. My father trained me to be a responsible hunter and now I am educated and safe when handling guns. I think that gun safety is being taken too lighty and people need to sbe more aware about the dangers of using guns. Guns themselves are not a bad thing, but irresponsabilty when using them is deadly. Peolpe should take more time in educating the youth about guns. Guns are taken too lightly in soceity due to the excessive use in video games and other sources. "Guns dont kill people, people kill people" Guns are a part of American tradition and should be kept around. But we must return to our original uses of them and learn to be more responsible gun owners .

The decline on guns is not as simplistic as urbanization. The decline of guns has a direct correlation with the intended use of guns. The United states has been know for weaponry, but an economic shift occurred in the early twenty century. Guns were historically used as hunting devices, and animals were the target. Fur, deer, and miscellaneous items were economically valuable. However, the expansion of industrialized farms and the increased sensitivity towards animal rights discredited the need for guns with regards to hunting. Gun owners now used guns for protection, causing the decline of gun ownership. This does not mean gun owners uses gun for the sole purpose of protection, nor does it mean that hunting does not existence. I am simply stating that the majority of gun owners do not use guns for hunting, because of the industrial shift towards easy, assessable, and cheap food. The average hunter has a multitude of guns that all special in certain hunting capability. Therefore, the decline of guns does not come from the social shift of using a gun, rather the quantity of guns. One gun is sufficient with regard to protection, whereas an assortment of guns is necessary for hunting.

I think that gun ownership has declined because America is becoming more liberal. I think that peoples feelings towards guns has changed the last decades. America is slowly becoming more and more similar to European countries. I think that gun ownership is changing the outlook towards the world. I grew up in Europe, in a home without guns. My family is very liberal and don't believe that gun is necessary in a home. People growing up in homes with guns, look at the world differently. I look at the world as a fairly safe place (Depends on where), but people growing up around guns I feel look at the world in another way. They look at the world and the society as a more dangerous place and they feel they need a gun to protect themselves. I think that guns are a necessary item when you are a person with a high chance of getting in danger (public people, people with much power), but I do not think that guns are necessary in an average American household.

I say yes it does change your way towards the world owning a firearm gives you that sense of security that no one will fxxk with you in your property while your with your family and if someone trys to break in and robb you well you'll will be strapped and ready to defend your family. personally i own 3 firearms and becasue of the type of enviroment i grew up in i feel safer with firearms in my possesion legally offcours. lets be reall we have a bunch of crazy people out here and now with this recession the crime rates have gone up!!!! AND NOT TO SAY WE LIVE IN CALIFORNIA ONE HOUR AWAY FROM L.A THE GANG CAPITOL OF THE WORLD!!!!!!!

OFFCOURSE OUR COUNTRY HAS THE HIGHEST RATE IN GUN OWNERSHIP WERE CRAZY PEOPLE WE HAVE TEXANS WHO EACH OWN LIKE 100 GUNS WE LIVE IN CALIFORNIA LIKE I SAID IN MY PREVIOUS COMMENT WE LIVE ONE HOUR AWAY FROM L.A THE GANG CAPITOL OF THE WORLD. PEOPLE WANNA FEEL SAFE ESPECIALLY KNOWING THAT WE HAVE SO MANY GANGS OUT HERE THERE ARE OVER 38 THOUSAND GANGS IN LA NOT TO SAY THAT THERE ARE A BUNCH OF GUN COLLECTORS LIKE THE GUN SHOW THAT OCCURS IN VEGAS ONCE A YEAR THEY HAVE THOUSANDS OF FIREARMS FROM S.K.S TO A.K 47s TO 45, 9, 38s, thousands of rifles FOR SALE EVERY YEAR. THE POINT IS THAT HERE IN AMERICA WE HAVE THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS AND THATS WHY WE HAVE CRAZY STATISTICS WHEN COMPARED TO OTHER COUNTRIES .

Maybe since there is a negative connotation associated with guns that is the reason why gun owner ship in households is declining. Or people have guns but they are not keeping them in the house but in their car or on their person. Owning a gun does not have to change one’s outlook towards the world. It really depends on why the gun was purchased in the first place. If the gun was bought for hunting purposes then there should be almost no change on how that person views the world. However if the gun was purchased because the person was burglarized or a nearby place was burglarized then the persons view on the world might be different then it was previously. The person's new view on the world now might be I bought a gun to protect myself from the bad people in the world. Personally i believe that it is better to have a gun and not need it then need it and not have it.

I personally believe that owning a gun is your right, regardless of the fact that I am against guns. I feel as though gun decline is in part, a resonse not only to urbanization, but also of a different school of thought. 50 years ago people lived in more rural areas where a gun was needed for hunting or protection from animals and even other men. However now a days people tend to live more in developed cities with law enforcement systems in place. i feel that this could potentially result in the decrease of firearms in the US. Also, in recent years, there has been a stigma that surrounds gun ownership. I believe that less people are owning guns and because they were not raised around them.

In my opinion people back in the day used to have guns for the protection of the unknown dangerous people that could potentially try to take advantage over them. But nowadays guns are thought of in a negative light in which if you have a gun you are a bad person or criminal with the intent to kill. Always the decrease of guns in households could have to do with technology in which there are alarm systems for break ins of house and other types of security besides physically shooting an individual. The decrease in the ownership of guns in households could also be because of the strict laws that we have in the United States about murder and self defense in which many use guns for self defense but could be put in jail because of certain circumstances. I feel like it is a good idea to obtain a gun in the household to protect yourself and others around from dangers when it is unexpected.

I think that gun ownership today is a personal choice. If somebody wants a gun, then it's their right according to the constitution. Guns can be used in a violent way, but so can almost anything else. It is the persons will that makes guns dangerous. The actual object can promote security or danger depending on the person's outlook on life. People's negative towards attitude towards firearms is what creates this controversy. Obviously there was good reason to have guns in the past for security and protection but now guns are used in different ways. Recreational hunting provides a good outlet for some people. If we would change our outlook on guns, then the controversy would not be so negative. Household guns definitely have their advantages and disadvantages, but overall I think that having a gun in a household is a personal choice.

I don't know one person who doesn't keep a bat, gun or some kind of weapon near them in the hose at night. I think that a lot of people these days grow up hunting, shooting guns, or even some kind of air soft or pellet gun. If you look at the news people have home invasions all the time. I do not think that owning a gun changes your view of the world. Owning a gun is the same as a bat or knife, it just means you are aware of the world we live in and that there are dangerous people in it. I think people that grow up around guns are a lot more likely to have one in the house because if you know how to use it why not keep one just in case. If it came down to it and you needed to protect your family you would probably wish you had a gun. People who have guns are most likely just aware, not paranoid about the world.

Owning and having a gun in one's house for protection may influence the ways in which they view the world, but it also shows that they are aware of the world around them. People know the dangers that are out there and what can happen when they are least expecting it. As time goes on, more and more dangers are being exposed. Unfortunately, home is not a place that we can escape from the danger and bad things in the world. Having an alarm system in the home is not simply enough anymore. The alarm buys them time and allows them to become aware that something is wrong. Being able to own a gun lets people feel more protected in their homes. It does change the way they view the world; they begin to trust the world less.

I was all for gun control but my opinions on the matter have changed. I believe in the constitutional rights and the second amendment stands. It is even brought to my attention that there should not be gun free zones.

I've never really been around guns myself, actual guns I mean, of course I had a few play guns, but nothing more... My grandmother has a gun, and used to advertise it in her window with a sign that read "We don't call 911" with the picture of a gun underneath it. So I'm not really sure how I feel, I think that it is incredible how many more guns we have than other countries, and I'm sure it makes people feel safe, but I don't know how many of these guns are an actual necessity for survival or business (i.e. hunting). I think that as long as people are using them correctly and only in means of self-defense when needed... those that own guns should be allowed to keep them.

My first thought while reading this article was that the difference in the statistical trends is probably due to the fact that there are more houses now, and that leads to the percentage going down.

My family never had guns when I was growing up, but any time it became the topic of conversation, my dad would state that he didnt think it was safe for a gun to be in the house where there are a bunch of kids, but that he is a firm believer that everyone should know how to operate a gun. This seemed to confuse a lot of people. What he meant was that we should all know how to defend ourselves if we needed to, but that he felt secure enough in his home to not need an extra object as protection.

What bothers me the most today is that there aren't many regulations as to who can and cannot purchase a gun. There is a slight background check with basically just asks you why you bought the gun, but there is no psych evaluation or anything to make sure that you aren't purchasing a weapon for the sole purpose of harming another human being.

I think that household gun ownership has decreased because of the fear of repercussions in using a gun. The media has inundated individuals with what guns will result in for individuals and children. They have scared people out of buying guns and think that guns lead to violence. If you educate people in gun ownership then the gun no longer is a fear and becomes a tool of empowerment. If more people had guns there would be less gun violence because the criminals would realize that if they use guns against others there is a good chance a gun will be used against them.