“The Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva ranks the U.S. number one in both the total number of civilian firearms and in per capita ownership of small firearms,” alternet.org reports, “beating out recent war zones like Yemen, Serbia and Iraq. In fact, we may even have more guns in the U.S. than we have people: The rate of private gun ownership in the U.S. was tabulated at 101.05 firearms per 100 individuals in one study. According to a recent report on CNN, Americans own as many as one-third of the guns in the entire world. Research also shows that while the number of households with guns has declined, current gun owners are stockpiling more guns. Part of this concentration seems to stem from the fact that guns are primarily marketed to people who already own guns.” As Ronald Reagan used to say, there you go again . . .
The anti-gunners amongst us love, love, LOVE the idea that America gun ownership is in decline, even as it increases. They’re selling the idea that the recent sustained historic surge in gun sales and concealed carry licenses and the ammo drought are the last gasp of the soon-to-be long lost tribe of armed OFWGs. The civilian disarmament complex reckons they’re winning even as their losing.
If gun control advocates had journeyed to a gun range in the last two years—and I’m thinking that former space cadet turned gun grabber Mark Kelly is the Mother of All Outliers in terms of trigger time—they’d know that there are plenty of young folks bustin’ caps. And buying bang sticks.
More guns = fewer gun owners makes about as much sense as anything else gun control advocates argue. More to the point, as pointed out by TTAG readers Steve S., “if we have 1/3 of all the guns in the world, I’d think we should have 1/3 of the deaths/whatever.” [Note to math-minded readers: I think he’s being sarcastic.] Here’s the kicker:
A related statistic: In the U.S., the gun-related murder rate is the second highest in the developed world. Only Mexico, where the ongoing drug war expands the number, has us beat.
A) define “developed” and B) Mexico has draconian gun control. What does that meme?