Guns Per State

[Yornoc3]

I'd like to see per capita, as NCG, said, as well as a better definition of what "registered" means, per Tractortad. It doesn't tell much, as is. But I can see I need to do my part to get Wisconsin's numbers improved. We gotta at least catch up to Minnesota .

[GunnyGene]

The most accurate statement is that some States have more guns per capita than others. Anything beyond that doesn't even come up to the level of a WAG.

[Mistered]

I have seen this before and it never really made sense - i.e. - what is a "registered gun"? There is no requirement to register firearms in most states.

And because of this it pretty much relegates these numbers.
I consider these statistics mostly fake or guessed as there is virtually no way to accurately estimate the number of guns per state.
I also noticed there was no description of how these numbers were attained.

Access All Statistics. Starting from $588 / Year

What a joke!! (and ripoff)

[JEBar]

good discussion so far but this is a topic that can and all too often does wander into the world of politics and 2nd Amendment .... REMINDER ===> those areas of discussion are not permitted on this form ....

[Mistered]

so far but this is a topic that can and all too often does wander into the world of politics and 2nd Amendment

Well so far this topic has been purely 'mathematical' in nature - and don't worry Jbar - we have seen your 'reminders' several times!

[Steve51]

Both of the articles linked by GFK refer to registered firearms. I know some states require some firearms to be registered but I am not aware of any state that requires all firearms to be registered.

I also know that many older people (like me) owned firearms before laws required paperwork and background checks. I have three firearms that don't even have serial numbers and still function well.

[tractortad]

If you pull the thread on these studies, you find out that what they are counting as "registered firearms" is actually silencers, short barreled rifles, short barreled shotguns, machineguns, and other "destructive devices" - with the majority (about 1/2) being silencers. These are all things that have to be registered thru the ATF for legal ownership. They are extrapolating this data into actual gun ownership in each state. It is probably not very accurate because it is not counting any of the estimated over 300 million firearms in the country that are owned by typical gun owners in the U.S.

[ESquared]

Thanks for digging into that, Tad. One of those "buyer beware" moments on the interweb, huh?

[GFK]

Sorry. Did not want to ruffle any feathers. I viewed this more for amusement than fact. Thought it would interesting to see how our Country is shaped (generally, seems coast to coast). Like any survey, I viewed it as a guess (wild guess). No national survey is 100%, not even our census, just offers suggestions about things. I will try and be more mindful of trivia though.

[JEBar]

no feathers ruffled .... you have stimulated some thoughtful conversation ... that's a good thing