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Yesterday, our man Leghorn debunked a study on American gun ownership. An opt-in, pay-for-play study touted by the anti-gun agitators at The Trace and the resolutely hoplophobic editors at The Guardian — despite the fact that they’d only seen a summary of the results, which won’t be published until after the presidential election.

As expected, as planned, the anti-gun rights mainstream media have picked up the headline. 50% of American guns owned by 3% of population – study Russia’s rt.com proclaims. Survey: Half Of All U.S. Guns Owned By Just 3% Of Americans sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com announces. Just three percent of adults own half of America’s guns washingtonpost.com pronounces.

desantis-blue-logo-no-back-4-smallThis propaganda campaign is straight out of Saul Alinsky’s Rules for RadicalsRule number 12: “Pick the target, freeze it, personalize it, and polarize it. Cut off the support network and isolate the target from sympathy. Go after people and not institutions; people hurt faster than institutions.” Remember all the animus towards “the one percent”? Like that. Here’s the weird part: there’s a movement called the “3 percenters.” Wikipedia.org:

The group’s name is based on a claim that the historical American Revolution military in armed resistance against the British in the American Revolution constituted three percent of the population . . . The movement was started in 2001 shortly after 9/11 in reaction to a perceived trend towards an increasingly overreaching federal government, particularly towards government overreach in all areas life, including objections to stricter gun control. The movement was co-founded by Mike Vanderboegh from Alabama, a member of the Oath Keepers, a group with whom they remain loosely allied, and who publicized the movement on his blog “Sipsey Street Irregulars” beginning November 2008.

Coincidence? Probably. In any case, are you one of the three percent of Americans who supposedly owns loads ‘o guns (more than 17)? You know; before the boating accident. And are you a “3 Percenter” — in spirit if not affiliation?

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99 COMMENTS

  1. What is the point? Purpose of the Constitution is to protect the minority. If true, 3% of gun owners aka “People of the Gun”, should be a protected class.

    • The point is the majority have a right to feel safe from the 19% or 3% minority because the 2nd Amendment is not unlimited.

      At least that’s the prog belief.

      • The use of the term “3 Percent” is a blatant attempt to demonize Vanderboegh’s 3% Movement, which has gained considerable legitimacy over the last few years and has been quite a thorn in the side of the anti-gunners. The timing of this is way too coincidental, given Mike’s recent passing. They know they can now avoid what would have likely been his inevitable and enthusiastic blow-back.

      • And at that point if you want to live to see the sunrise, start killing every single one of them so viciously that they realize their Yuge error–they were much, much safer when you and your guns were left alone.

        Then, a wise people would cement all the skulls together in a giant monument, leaving about half of it with empty spots for more skulls. Melt the FBI building with all traitors who work there still inside, and stick your skull moment on the roof where it is visible from the Capitol, the White House, and the Supreme Court.

        THEN, you could sit on your laurels for a few decades before having to do it all over again. Such is what Jefferson meant when he spoke of the blood of patriots and tyrants.

        • The “Three Percent” have been quite a thorn in the side of the majority of folks here on TTAG as well, they aren’t prone to group think which violates some unwritten code the FUDDs around these parts follow.

          #nevertrump

      • I don’t recall learning about a right to feel safe – or a right to feel anything else, for that matter – back in my civics classes.

        Could you provide a reference, please?

        • Does the comment from Amendment IV have any meaning for you?
          “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”

          The term “secure” has the following definition – synonyms: safe, protected, protected from harm/danger, out of danger, sheltered, safe and sound, out of harm’s way, in a safe place, in safe hands, guarded, invulnerable

        • I’m not doing well on discerning who is serious in this thread, but to answer your question, the Bill of Rights is not a list of services which the government is obligated to provide you. Its a list of things the government is not allowed to do to you. So, yes, you have a right to not have the government break into your house without good cause and due process. And, key to the current thread, it protects your neighbor from having you send government enforcers to his house to do it on your behalf just because they own something you don’t want them to have.

        • I am not a 4th Amendment scholar (I don’t think you are either), but it is patently clear that the 4th is talking about being protected from unwarranted searches and seizures, not about feeling safe in general.

          Anyone can find something to support any agenda within the Constitution (or the Bible, or a Supreme Court decision, etc.), if they try hard enough, but that would require taking a few words out of context like you did. I am sure that the SCOTUS justices would not have written about “reasonable restrictions” in their Heller vs. DC decision, had they known how the gun control people and the lower courts would misuse that phrase.

        • While you are correct as to the focus of the 4th, if the 4th says it, then it applied everywhere. Otherwise, it would be possible for an amendment to say that people have a right to vote while another amendment might say only those who own property or otherwise have a vested interest in the future of the country had a right to vote. Either an amendment applied to all, or it applies to none.

          Also, the government, at the time the Constitution was written, though it seems questionable today, had a duty to keep the American people safe.

          I didn’t take anything out of context. I quoted a portion of the document which is supposed to apply everywhere.

          The SCOTUS has changed many things about the Constitution which the Founders would never have approved. They would never have approved of Freedom of Speech including someone burning the US Flag or wiping their a$$ with it.

      • Isn’t this just another example of the “wealth inequality” in the United States?

        Apparently, the top 1% owns roughly 40% of all the assets in the country. The bottom 80% own only 7% of all the assets.

        So – – – Who cares if this is also true of firearm owners? A very small percentage of people own – most stocks – most farmland – most commercial real estate – most bonds – most gold and silver – etc. etc. etc.

        The majority of Americans own jack crap – other than student loans and credit cards.

        https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wealth_inequality_in_the_United_States

        Also, I had to laugh about people owning 8 guns being labeled “super gun owners”. A collection of 8 guns just covers the basics.

        Personally, I’m happy to have a “greater than average” net worth, as well as a “greater than average” firearms collection.

        Of course the truth of the matter is this. There is a top 0.001% of extremely rich billionaires – like Bloomberg etc. – who don’t like the idea of “us peasants” being armed, or debt free, or really owning anything. They want us to be broke, helpless, and afraid.

      • “The point is the majority have a right to feel safe…”

        Crap. Nobody has a right to FEEL safe. Nobody has a right to feel anything. Feelings are subjective. Everyone one does have a right to defend themselves. No matter how your feel, the universe isn’t safe. It’s beautiful. Amazing. Endlessly wonderful. But not safe. Thinking otherwise is childish.

        But you don’t really fear us. You are angry because we refuse to live the way you think we should. Tough. Just leave us alone and we can co-exist peacefully.

        [edit: Oops, sorry. Didn’t read the last line. Yes, that is the prog belief. And I’m so sick of it that I have a sort fuse on the topic.]

    • News reports state that “super owners” are those who own at least 17 guns. I thought wow, that’s a lot. Then I counted my collection. I haven’t had fewer than 17 for many years.

      oops.

  2. Liberals lie.
    Idiot liberals/sheep will believe this.
    It’s called propaganda – they’re selling their lies.
    Lots of people are stupid – like P. T. Barnum said, “there’s a sucker born every minute”
    Liberals are trying to persuade as many people as possible that the right thing to do is NOT own a firearm.
    Because we humans love to be right, right ?

    • I’ve softened a bit on assuming stupidity. When you are faced with the day-to-day struggles of making ends meet, it’s very difficult to stay informed. Often, to get a reasonably accurate picture of an issue (or even an event), you have to work for it. I understand how many people just don’t have the time. I just wish those who aren’t able to make the effort would refrain from voting.

  3. “What difference – at this point, what difference does it make?”

    Libtard progs hate POTG with passion and plenty of feelz, and they’re sufficiently closed-minded that no discussion or logical argument is going to show them the light of truth, so explain to me why more of their lies should matter or why should we answer their (same) idiotic questions again and again?

    For the record, I own more than 1 gun so in their stupidity-glazed eyes I’m a 3% as well as a “danger OWFG” (the old & white part is way off) that gets their panties in a wad.

    • Yeah, I’m not telling random pollsters anything on the phone and I tell them to scoot when they come to my door.

      And, as had already been said, I think there are a lot more people that won’t tell a pollster about their gun ownership, thus creating the low ownership figures that Progs rub their hands in glee about.

  4. Since 3-4% of the population identifies as gay/lesbian does that mean we can expect media and politicians to stumble over themselves fighting for our cause, time and support?

    • So if those who own 17 or more are likened to gay/lesbian, would the 19% who own less be like those who are bi, bi-curious, or maybe like those women who kissed a girl in college when they were really drunk (which would be rape under this generation’s thinking if the drunk girls were kissed by males). And gun owners that own NFA items are like transsexuals.

      BTW- this is totally meant as humorous.

  5. What’s mind-boggling is that that there’s a pervasive belief that owning more than one gun makes you more likely to go out and commit a crime. It’s as if they fear a one-man band style shooter, who not only has a gun in each hand, but fires his AR using a slick flick of the knee, bumpfires his AK by tilting his head to the left, and uses a derringer between his teeth. I’d LOVE to see a study of those convicted of murder using a firearm and see on average how many guns they owned (legally or not). I’d wager the number is statically close to 1.

  6. How many guns do I own?

    That depends on who’s asking.

    The answer might be “Enough” or “Enough to scare the liberals but not as many as I’d like”.

  7. Am I correct in believing that only guns produced or imported since 1968 are included in the usual gun numbers? At any rate, I can think of numerous people I know that have several if not a dozen or more produced before then. I imagine that the numbers in these stupid studies will always be skewed because of this, if for none of the many other reasons. Also, no poll taker has ever asked me how many I have, and wouldn’t get a truthfull answer anyway. Not because of any fear of confiscation, but rather that they are rather valuable, and I don’t make a habit of telling strangers about all the valuable, easy to move items in my home. Even or especially if they are supposedly legitamte employees of so e survey company. Pollsters aren’t known for being highly paid.

    As an answer to your question, I have enough firearm(s) for my purposes and the fulfilment of my duties.

  8. How many? Enough to not want anything to do with New York, New Jersey, Maryland, California, and few other pristine places for gun grabbers to live. But nooooooo they have to spread their minority view on other people who mind their own business.

  9. EVEN if this were remotely true, so what?

    I guess next they’ll say that 50% of Americans own 80% of the computers, so we don’t really need free-speech rights on the Internet.

    It’s just pathetic leftist propaganda.

    To be consistent though, leftists should support a plan to alleviate gun inequality by giving a gun to everyone who doesn’t have one, paid for by the government of course. /;-)

  10. Also, I really don’t see why they think it matters. If you are the kind of person who can afford many firearms, then you are clearly gainfully employed with money in the bank. How many criminals or mass shooters fit that profile? Ridiculous.

  11. You also have people like my mother throwing off the count. When my dad passed away two months ago, I asked her if I could have his guns. “What guns? He didn’t have any guns. We were married 40 years and there have never been any guns in this house except when you bring yours.” (She’s not hoplophobic and she’s totally OK with my gun enthusiasm, she just thought there weren’t any in the house.) We go to the back of his closet and there is a small rifle safe tucked away behind his older suits. Four pistols, three shotguns, two rifles and 2,000 rounds each of 22lr and 9mm. She was darn near part of the three percent and didn’t even know it!

  12. Spectacularly irrelevant, whether true or not. Seriously, what’s the point? Portray a “majority of us don’t even want guns” picture of America? Portray gun ownership as fringe “outcast” thing? Seems like this should have been done by the gun control enthusiasts for some purpose, but I can’t really see it getting anyone’s undies in a twist. IMHO, If the “who owns them” part of the gun control equation was in any way relevant to them, the gun control conversation would be way different than it is now. Probably not any better, but different.

    • I don’t have any objection to that portrayal. It is fine if it facilitates the attitude of “therefore we can quickly and easily pass the constitutional amendment required prior to infringing on the right of the people to keep and bear arms.” The attitude of “therefore we can ignore that right” could get somebody shot!

  13. More than 1, less than 100. I own some for protection, some for sport, some for just in case, some for memories, some for the hell of it, and some that cross those lines.

  14. By this study’s metrics yes, in reality I doubt it. I would say what I have (a dozenish guns) is a bit above average but far from the “3%” range. Just like anything else there are many different uses for a firearm, so you have ones of varying shapes and sizes in order to optimize for specific tasks. Based on people I know I’d put the average gun owner at 6-8ish thinking about it. That’s extremely ancedotal however. It also discounts the idea that you could say buy a gun for your wife’s use and you “own” it.

    Besides that claims made on studies without methodology released should immediately be discarded as unsubstantiated here say. 78% of Americans not owning guns seems markedly low. If they went into an area like California you’re going to wind up with the people owning guns being the die hard enthusiasts who are willing to go through the hoops and that increases their odds of having bigger collections.

      • The ATF says that gifting is fine.

        They say you have to act “as the agent” of someone you know, or should know, is a prohibited person for it to be a straw purchase. Gifts are fine as long as they’re not across state lines without a BGC.

        Personally I’ve always wondered how they’d prosecute the latter. “No officer/very special agent, I didn’t give my father a gun as a gift, I left it at his house. It’s still mine and I can pick it up any time I please”. Short of video or audio proving otherwise I’m not seeing a case.

        • OK, let’s quibble, that seems to be the national pastime of Libs these days. A while back, specifically beyond the Statute of Limitations, I gave my brother a pistol. I saw to it that he had the proper case, properly secured, and properly presented at the airport to fly back home in another state. I had known him, and kept in reasonable communication with him, for over 40 years at the time, but did not have a BGC performed, and I was aware that he would take the evil TX pistol and inflict it on a different state. Must he and I be executed, or will life without parole suffice? That is “across state lines” if you want it to be, without BGC, all manner of evil in a completely normal and reasonable transaction. These laws are STUPID!

  15. I own one gun, more than I need, but way less than I want. But if someone I don’t know anything about asks me, guess what the answer will most likely be…

    This survey is obvious crap anyway. At least half of Americans own guns, probably more. How can you possibly manhandle that into a 78-21 split?

  16. better 3%er than a 1%er, gotta love the glow! smell of Cordite in the air, lead singing on it way, the impact of recoil, the lightening quick break of the Trigger the manipulation of Ejection and brass spinning in the Air! yup may be one!
    Non Sibi Sed Patriae!

  17. I guess they didn’t ask anyone living in Wyoming… or the few they asked told them to go to hell. Anyway, that’s what I’d have told them – except that I don’t answer telephone or internet “surveys” period.

    Anyway, I suspect there are enough guns in this rural neighborhood to give our survey takers a bad case of the vapors.

    I have more rifles than handguns, and handguns are what I mostly shoot. We won’t talk about ammo… OK? 🙂

    • As Nick pointed out, this stat was based on a study by Gfk that relies on financially compensated opt-in respondents. Hardly scientific.

  18. If this statistic is anywhere near true, then gun-grabbers should have no issues whatsoever amending the constitution to fit their agenda.

    The real truth is that America loves its guns.

    Even before I became a gun owner, I was never anti-gun. I did not come from a “gun household”, yet I simply viewed them as tools – nothing more, nothing less.

    This is just propaganda and spin.

  19. 3% of American adults own 50,000,000 firearms?

    Let’s see… there’s 245 million adults in America. 3% of them yields 7,350,000 arsenal owners. Yet the NRA’s membership is only about 5 million at most.

    What the hell? There’s 2.35 million people out there who own “huge arsenals” of guns each, who won’t even bother to join the NRA? The NRA has the worst membership recruitment effectiveness in history, apparently.

    • My math was a bit off, as I did not account for adults in my population equation, nor was my population as low. But I came to about 50mil on the gun numbers side. At any rate, my math was roughly 50-100 guns per gun owner. Now, I’m sure there are some, but hardly the majority. If their numbers are correct, I’m way under par on their count, so someone needs to socialize gun ownership and hand me a few dozen more.

  20. Not to quibble too much, but the original and correct meaning of three-percenters is people who served, who took the call and showed up rifle in hand ready to fight and many did so.
    As a Vietnam Vet, I am a three-percenter.
    Just owning a gun doesn’t make you a three-percenter, it makes you a ten-percenter: ten percent of the colonists actively supported the fighters (funds, lodging, arms, cover & concealment, etc.) and they were patriots too and maybe would take up arms if they had to. But they didn’t. Those are most American gun owners.
    I don’t really care about percentages in fact: if you own arms and understand the importance of keeping and training to use them effectively, then you are one of us.
    So that number is really 13% not 3%.

    Thirteen percent is plenty enough..
    “It does not require a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority keen to set brush fires in people’s minds.”
    — Samuel Adams

  21. In any case, are you one of the three percent of Americans who supposedly owns loads ‘o guns (more than 17)? You know; before the boating accident. And are you a “3 Percenter” — in spirit if not affiliation?

    Only in the last few years. I only owned a small handful of firearms for decades until 2012. They mentioned amazingly off-putting and outrageously insane gun control schemes, and then I started buying hoards of firearms, ammo, brass, bullets, dies, powders, primers, and presses. Whatever effect they were looking for – they received the opposite. They said – “we don’t want you to have these items and we don’t want you to know information about this subject.” That was all that was needed to get my attention.

    • I hear where you’re going. I own a really fast car, what business is that of yours? My neighbor owns really high-end bicycles, why do you care? What business of yours is it *what* I own? If I do something which affects others, we can address that, but it has nothing to do with what I *OWN*.

  22. So, given your definition, yes and yes. Even have a 3% decal on my Tahoe although no one outside of, well, 3 percenters, knows what it is and/or means. 17? Passed that a while ago and have plenty, but not enough, ammo as well.

      • Maybe that’s really what’s happening they only own a few guns but they keep losing the old ones in boating accidents. It’d make sense, repeat business.

        • Also must be why tens of millions of guns are manufactured and sold each year, yet the number of guns in the US never increases! It’s because of the boating accidents! That may be what happened to my guns-but I can’t recall.

  23. I’m a lot of “percenters”

    I’m the half a percent of my generation to serve in the military.

    I’m the four percent of that to serve as 11 or 1300

    I’m in the top half a percent of tested IQ, the top percent of education

    But at a level of 17 guns to make this grade, I’m not a three percenter. I’m not a collector, I’m a hunter, competitor and CPL holder. All my guns have a purpose, all of them get shot regularly. I limit myself to a nice, round ten. One in, one out. This year I’ve sold four and bought three, so I’m down to nine, and starting another AR to round out the safe.

    • It would only take 7 more to do your duty! Can’t you make room in your safe for just 7 more little guns? With 14,000 rounds more ammo, but for little guns, right?

  24. I’m watching Fox News (Tues 9/20) and they had a reporter (using the term loosely) report on this. He failed to mention that people were paid for this, or that it was produced on behalf of anti-gun web site, etc.

    I sent Fox News a message. Will you?

    • If something like 65-70% of households have guns (often ‘owned’ by one person) that part may not be too far off, keeping in mind that much of the population is concentrated in urban centers where gun ownership is low.

      Also depending on how they count ‘adults’, considering how they count anyone up to 23 or so as ‘ children’ in spurious crime statistics I could see then going the other direction and counting anyone over 17 as adult.

  25. Just got back from testing a form 1 silencer for my shotgun, and I had three three other guns and two other silencers with me, not counting my carry gun. If I had to bring all the guns from work back home, they wouldn’t fit in the safe. I’m in.

  26. 3%er. So far I haven’t seen any. Heard a lot of talk on the interwebz. But no rally cry or time or place to meet up and start the ball rolling. And seriously, if all it takes is 3% of the population to bring down the .gov and change our nation what % of the population is black? Mexican?

    I think 3% is a catchy bumper sticker phrase.

  27. So the point of this little exercise in statistical masturbation by the anti-gun crowd is to say that “only” ~ 70,000,000 Americans own guns????

    P.S. Robert – there’s your headline. 😀

  28. Don’t know if I’m a 3%er or not, but if I had 60 seconds to come up with the exact number of guns I own – I am certain I wouldn’t get the count exactly correct. And I picked up a new one yesterday, so there liberals!!!!

  29. I could see a small group owning a pile of the arms. Not 50 percent but I’ve met a few older guys who collected c&r guns before they were c&rs and now have every variant of the Mauser-mosin-enfield-model 70 out there. As could be expected the numbers are to scare the sheep co spidering half if or more of the firearms out in circulation are bolt,single shot and fewer still ever see use.

  30. How in the hell would they ever be able to come up with any accurate data on this? This is another one of those ‘we conducted a poll’ surveys huh? I know they sure as f*ck didn’t call me, and if they did and asked if I owned guns or how many, I’d tell them to go F themselves (or probably actually say ‘guns? of course not’).

    The fact is they have no idea how many people actually own guns, or how many. Cause no one but the Fudds and the non-gun owners are talking. We’ve been through this before. The number of guns in America and who owns them is MUCH higher than anyone knows. I’d Love to see how they came up with their ‘data’ (cough cough).

    What a joke.

  31. “…. But the new survey estimates that 133m of these guns are concentrated in the hands of just 3% of American adults – a group of super-owners who have amassed an average of 17 guns each…”

    Wait, what…..???? An “average” of 17 guns? So if I have one gun and someone else has 34 guns, together we have and “average” of 17 guns. How exactly do they attribute a benchmark of 17 guns when the 17 guns figure that they speak of is the result of an average?

    I thought I paid attention in college statistics class. Apparently not enough.

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