NICS checks sharply up, self reported gun ownership down

[Balog]

http://www.fbi.gov/about-us/cjis/nics/reports/1998_2014_monthly_yearly_totals-033114.pdf



No word on rate of tragic boating accidents among former gun owners...

[Nick1911]

Likely it's just people that already have a gun, buying up more of them.

[RevDisk]

At least it's not a phone survey. I often wonder what kind of idiot would admit to anything substantial from a random unauthenticated phone call.

[wmenorr67]

I would've expected the number or Independents would be higher.

[T.O.M.]

I would've expected the number or Independents would be higher.

I expect that indepents would decline to admit, or even deny ownership.  Repubs trumpet ownership, while many Dems would deny even if they did.  Outside of certain circles, like here, I would not admit or deny.  No one's business.

[wmenorr67]

I can see your point there Chris.

Being in the military most people assume that I own firearms and that I know how to use them.  People that truly know me know some of what I own and my skill level.  The rest as you say is none of their business.

[AJ Dual]

Likely it's just people that already have a gun, buying up more of them.

I'm certain that's some of it, it's certainly true for ME.  And the anti's are definitely working hard to sell the narrative of the "nuts" hoarding and doubling-down with ever more guns, while the number of individual owners is forever shrinking as a proportion of the population.

However, it's lunacy to try and explain away the massive deluge of NICS checks as being all existing gun owners. At a minimum, being conservative, I'd think it's reasonable to guess the swelling numbers of NICS transactions indicates the percentage of gun owners, or gun-owning households is remaining steady, if not slowly growing.

And taking into account secondary transactions, such as gifts, private sales, inheritance etc. there's going to be a non-trivial rate of redistributing firearms to new owners even if the initial NICS transaction was an "existing owner".

[KD5NRH]

Outside of certain circles, like here, I would not admit or deny.  No one's business.

Another nice thing about Texas.  "I've got a cheap old shotgun for hogs and snakes" is about as revealing as "I breathe air," while still making another mark in the "gun owner" totals.

[MicroBalrog]

The polling goes only up to 2010.

Anyone has dynamics for 2011-2013 on hand?

[MechAg94]

Another nice thing about Texas.  "I've got a cheap old shotgun for hogs and snakes" is about as revealing as "I breathe air," while still making another mark in the "gun owner" totals.

Yeah, that is kind of a silly question down here, especially outside the big cities. 

[RoadKingLarry]

Around here it's the folks that don't own guns that result in the whispered comments and side long glances.


"Hey bubba, you gotta watch out for that fella driving that there Soobaroo car, folks say he don't own no guns."

"Shoot, I knew his daddy. Man that ain't right, his folks raised him better than that."

[French G.]

That's why people like me can wheel down the road with a year's income worth of guns in that same Soobaroo car and no one notices. I shall call it hippiflage since lesbian is already taken.

[Tallpine]

I guess that there's no way to know how many NICS pings are for used guns sold through FFLs     

Still, there's got to be a lot more new guns in private hands now, and that makes me happy   

[dogmush]

I guess that there's no way to know how many NICS pings are for used guns sold through FFLs     

Still, there's got to be a lot more new guns in private hands now, and that makes me happy   

ATF publishes their yearly statistics a bit behind, but from Jan 2012's report:

In 2010 5,459,240 firearms were produced.  2,839,947 Firearms were imported.  We did export 241,977. I'm sure a couple thousand were destroyed as well.

Since 2010, we've had 3.5 years of panicked frenzy.  US Civilians buy enough guns PER YEAR to give a firearm to every member of the Chinese military*.

Depending on how we did in the most recent panic we might be able to arm the North Korean military.  PER YEAR.

Yeah, most gun owners have more then one gun.  But still. Think about what that means for our gun culture. We're closing in on a Billion guns manufactured or imported into the US per year.  They're going somewhere.  And as far as the culture war goes at some point quantity is it's own quality.


*Numbers in the militaries

ATF Report 2012

[Perd Hapley]

I guess these numbers don't tell us how many guns are being purchased through FFLs, by CCW permit-holders, in states where the permit obviates NICS.

[Hutch]

ATF publishes their yearly statistics a bit behind, but from Jan 2012's report:
<snip>
We're closing in on a Billion guns manufactured or imported into the US per year.  They're going somewhere.  And as far as the culture war goes at some point quantity is it's own quality.

Say what?  Like I'm closing in on a million dollar a year income....

I like and approve of the sentiment, but you're off by 2 (count 'em, 2) orders of magnitude.

[dogmush]

Say what?  Like I'm closing in on a million dollar a year income....

I like and approve of the sentiment, but you're off by 2 (count 'em, 2) orders of magnitude.

oops. Yeah.  What's a few zeros among friends?