5 Facts About America’s Gun Culture From a Liberal Gun-Owning Sociologist (5 Viewers)

[Artymoon]

I found this article to be a good read so thought I'd share it. The author makes some interesting observations about guns and gun culture in the U.S.

5 Facts About America’s Gun Culture From a Liberal Gun-Owning Sociologist | Shooting Wire

Today, 1 in 4 black Americans, as well as 1 in 5 Latinos and 1 in 4 women, personally own a gun. Twenty percent of gun owners consider themselves politically liberal. For every four evangelical Protestants who own handguns, three people who don’t identify with any religion own them too. Scholars are even beginning to discover the importance of LGBTQ+ gun owners.

Despite high rates of firearm suicide and homicide, most guns in the U.S. will not kill anyone, and most American gun owners will not commit violence against themselves or others. My calculations, based on the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, indicate that just one gun death occurred per 8,560 firearms and 1,840 gun owners – meaning at least 99.99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners were not directly involved in fatalities that year.

To different people, they are fun and frightening, dangerous and protective, diffuse and concentrated, unifying and divisive, attractive and repulsive, interesting and controversial, useful and useless, good and bad, and neither good nor bad.

 

[lynnwinslow]

I found this article to be a good read so thought I'd share it. The author makes some interesting observations about guns and gun culture in the U.S.

5 Facts About America’s Gun Culture From a Liberal Gun-Owning Sociologist | Shooting Wire

Today, 1 in 4 black Americans, as well as 1 in 5 Latinos and 1 in 4 women, personally own a gun. Twenty percent of gun owners consider themselves politically liberal. For every four evangelical Protestants who own handguns, three people who don’t identify with any religion own them too. Scholars are even beginning to discover the importance of LGBTQ+ gun owners.

Despite high rates of firearm suicide and homicide, most guns in the U.S. will not kill anyone, and most American gun owners will not commit violence against themselves or others. My calculations, based on the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, indicate that just one gun death occurred per 8,560 firearms and 1,840 gun owners – meaning at least 99.99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners were not directly involved in fatalities that year.

To different people, they are fun and frightening, dangerous and protective, diffuse and concentrated, unifying and divisive, attractive and repulsive, interesting and controversial, useful and useless, good and bad, and neither good nor bad.

I stopped reading after "Guns are normal".
Going to McDonald's is normal. Is it a good idea? Not usually.

 

[pinqy]

"This is to say, guns are not inherently anything. They take on different meanings according to the various purposes to which people put them."
I think this is the point that most anti-gun people miss. A knife in the hands of a mugger is far more dangerous than any of the guns I own.

 

[JMB1911A1]

I stopped reading after "Guns are normal".

Why? Don’t want to read something that might make you think or runs counter to your preconceived notions?

Going to McDonald's is normal. Is it a good idea? Not usually.

So what? Guns are normal. There are over 400 million in the US. Many people shoot recreationally. There are over 1.67 million defensive gun uses a year.

 

[lynnwinslow]

Why? Don’t want to read something that might make you think or runs counter to your preconceived notions?

I don't want to waste my time. The guy wasn't speaking to people who want more gun safety, he was speaking to the gun cult so they'd buy his book.

So what? Guns are normal. There are over 400 million in the US. Many people shoot recreationally. There are over 1.67 million defensive gun uses a year.

So what?

 

[Slavister]

My calculations, based on the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, indicate that just one gun death occurred per 8,560 firearms and 1,840 gun owners – meaning at least 99.99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners were not directly involved in fatalities that year.

Key words: "fatalities" and "that year".

If you expand his same calculation to "fatalities or injuries" (~117345/year) and "50 years", the number becomes 0.9986338^50, or ~7% chance. I.e. 1 in 14 gun owners directly involved in getting killed or injured with firearm over 50 years of gun ownership.

 

[Artymoon]

I stopped reading after "Guns are normal".
Going to McDonald's is normal. Is it a good idea? Not usually.

Whether one likes it or not, guns are normal in American culture.

 

[Slavister]

"This is to say, guns are not inherently anything. They take on different meanings according to the various purposes to which people put them."
I think this is the point that most anti-gun people miss. A knife in the hands of a mugger is far more dangerous than any of the guns I own.

There are far fewer knife murders / 100,000 people in comparable countries with limited gun ownership.

Also, in US, I am quite sure there are far fewer knife murders than gun murders in muggings.

 

[lynnwinslow]

Whether one likes it or not, guns are normal in American culture.

There are a lot of things that American culture considers to be normal - fast food, reality tv shows, giant trucks that never go off road and can barely maneuver in suburban parking lots, blabbing on facetime in public - again, that doesn't mean they are a good idea.

 

[JMB1911A1]

I don't want to waste my time. The guy wasn't speaking to people who want more gun safety, he was speaking to the gun cult so they'd buy his book.

How would you know since you stopped reading the article? And what do you define as “gun safety”? The premier gun safety organization in the country is the NRA. None of the gun control groups teach “gun safety”. In fact, they actively oppose teaching optional gun safety classes in schools.

Should NH students learn gun safety in school? A Republican lawmaker says yes.

Under proposed legislation, students would take one hour of gun safety lessons annually. The lessons would not include firearms, and parents could opt their child out.

www.nhpr.org

Rep. Terry Roy has proposed legislation that would require one hour of gun safety education annually for public school students beginning in kindergarten. The youngest students would be taught to avoid guns. Older students would learn the dangers of mishandling a gun.

There would be no guns in schools during the lessons, and parents could pull their kids from the class if they objected.

Advocates from several groups testified against Roy’s legislation, including Moms Demand Action, New Futures, and Gun Sense New Hampshire.

So what?

 

[lynnwinslow]

How would you know since you stopped reading the article? And what do you define as “gun safety”? The premier gun safety organization in the country is the NRA. None of the gun control groups teach “gun safety”. In fact, they actively oppose teaching optional gun safety classes in schools.

Should NH students learn gun safety in school? A Republican lawmaker says yes.

Under proposed legislation, students would take one hour of gun safety lessons annually. The lessons would not include firearms, and parents could opt their child out.

www.nhpr.org

Rep. Terry Roy has proposed legislation that would require one hour of gun safety education annually for public school students beginning in kindergarten. The youngest students would be taught to avoid guns. Older students would learn the dangers of mishandling a gun.
There would be no guns in schools during the lessons, and parents could pull their kids from the class if they objected.

Advocates from several groups testified against Roy’s legislation, including Moms Demand Action, New Futures, and Gun Sense New Hampshire.

I researched the author before I posted. He's trying to sell a book

 

[Integrityrespec]

I found this article to be a good read so thought I'd share it. The author makes some interesting observations about guns and gun culture in the U.S.

5 Facts About America’s Gun Culture From a Liberal Gun-Owning Sociologist | Shooting Wire

Today, 1 in 4 black Americans, as well as 1 in 5 Latinos and 1 in 4 women, personally own a gun. Twenty percent of gun owners consider themselves politically liberal. For every four evangelical Protestants who own handguns, three people who don’t identify with any religion own them too. Scholars are even beginning to discover the importance of LGBTQ+ gun owners.

Despite high rates of firearm suicide and homicide, most guns in the U.S. will not kill anyone, and most American gun owners will not commit violence against themselves or others. My calculations, based on the 2023 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, indicate that just one gun death occurred per 8,560 firearms and 1,840 gun owners – meaning at least 99.99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners were not directly involved in fatalities that year.

To different people, they are fun and frightening, dangerous and protective, diffuse and concentrated, unifying and divisive, attractive and repulsive, interesting and controversial, useful and useless, good and bad, and neither good nor bad.

Good numbers, 99,99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners not involved in a crime.
However, the problem has always been that democrats grossly exaggerate the numbers so they can have something to campaign upon. The facts are few gun owners are criminals, but most violent criminals possess a gun. Why aren't democrats interested in, 1. Keeping illegal criminals out of this country. 2. Getting guns out of the hand of all criminals. 3. Getting gun toting criminals off our streets. 4. The guns used most in homicides in America are, 45/7% handguns, 2.6% rifles, 1.4%, 23% of guns type is unknown. . Knives are the second most used weapons in murders in America.
What they seem to be interested in is making a scene in a hearing or on a stump, but not in addressing the problem which is criminal gun owners who use guns in commission of a crime. Repeat offenders are high, many don't serve time for the crimes, and many have the crime reduced to a lesser charge. Yet, democrats continue to mislead on gun crimes, and who committed those crimes.
Lowering violent crimes to misdemeanors has given a false claim that certain types of crimes are down.

 

[rahl]

Key words: "fatalities" and "that year".

If you expand his same calculation to "fatalities or injuries" (~117345/year) and "50 years", the number becomes 0.9986338^50, or ~7% chance. I.e. 1 in 14 gun owners directly involved in getting killed or injured with firearm over 50 years of gun ownership.

Your math is way off lol

 

[Integrityrespec]

I don't want to waste my time. The guy wasn't speaking to people who want more gun safety, he was speaking to the gun cult so they'd buy his book.

So what?

I think he was just stating facts. Guns don't fire themselves, some criminal asshole shots people.

 

[Integrityrespec]

Your math is way off lol

Either that or they can't do proper math.

 

[lynnwinslow]

I think he was just stating facts. Guns don't fire themselves, some criminal asshole shots people.

Guns are normal is a fact? Huh. I thought that was an opinion.

 

[pinqy]

There are far fewer knife murders / 100,000 people in comparable countries with limited gun ownership.

Also, in US, I am quite sure there are far fewer knife murders than gun murders in muggings.

And you completely missed my point.

It is almost certain that none of my guns will ever harm anyone because I have no intent to, my area is pretty safe so I don't anticipate defensive use, and I am paranoid about gun safety. In my hands, my guns are as dangerous as a butter knife.

On the other hand, a robber armed with a knife is very likely to cut or stab someone.

So the critical factor is not the weapon, but the person: you are much safer in the presence of a non-violent person who has a gun than with a violent person with a knife, or any other weapon or no weapon.

 

[iliveonramen]

It's an arms race. I don't want some fat boomer in a big truck they can barely drive get pissed because I honk at them for sitting at a green light for 5 minutes.

I've never been concerned with gun violence in my life. It can happen to anyone, but the chances are low. Too many tightly wound losers in this country right now though.

 

[Slavister]

And you completely missed my point.

It is almost certain that none of my guns will ever harm anyone because I have no intent to, my area is pretty safe so I don't anticipate defensive use, and I am paranoid about gun safety. In my hands, my guns are as dangerous as a butter knife.

Meh... I think most gun owners think the same way. Whether it's someone else in your household, or your intentions change over time, on one particularly bad afternoon, or ...

And despite you "not anticipating" defensive use, you clearly still feel the need to have one.

On the other hand, a robber armed with a knife is very likely to cut or stab someone.

Apples and oranges. Robber armed with a knife will do a lot less harm than robber armed with a gun.

So the critical factor is not the weapon, but the person: you are much safer in the presence of a non-violent person who has a gun than with a violent person with a knife, or any other weapon or no weapon.

This is a true statement but you cannot insulate yourself from a society. And society has people turn violent plenty of time. (E.g. see post #18)

 

[Artymoon]

Key words: "fatalities" and "that year".

If you expand his same calculation to "fatalities or injuries" (~117345/year) and "50 years", the number becomes 0.9986338^50, or ~7% chance. I.e. 1 in 14 gun owners directly involved in getting killed or injured with firearm over 50 years of gun ownership.

I've not done the math but many things can cause injury. Let's face it, fatalities are what are measured and cited when it comes to all things gun.

 

[Artymoon]

Good numbers, 99,99% of guns and 99.95% of gun owners not involved in a crime.
However, the problem has always been that democrats grossly exaggerate the numbers so they can have something to campaign upon. The facts are few gun owners are criminals, but most violent criminals possess a gun. Why aren't democrats interested in, 1. Keeping illegal criminals out of this country. 2. Getting guns out of the hand of all criminals. 3. Getting gun toting criminals off our streets. 4. The guns used most in homicides in America are, 45/7% handguns, 2.6% rifles, 1.4%, 23% of guns type is unknown. . Knives are the second most used weapons in murders in America.
What they seem to be interested in is making a scene in a hearing or on a stump, but not in addressing the problem which is criminal gun owners who use guns in commission of a crime. Repeat offenders are high, many don't serve time for the crimes, and many have the crime reduced to a lesser charge. Yet, democrats continue to mislead on gun crimes, and who committed those crimes.
Lowering violent crimes to misdemeanors has given a false claim that certain types of crimes are down.

Guns are a divisive issue. Politicians will use anything and everything that creates division to carve out some sort of political power or favor. I feel most common-sense Americans don't see the gun as anything more than a tool that has been a part of this country since its founding. Addressing the underlying reason and trying to solve it would be removing an issue that can be used to pander for votes.

 

[Slavister]

I've not done the math but many things can cause injury. Let's face it, fatalities are what are measured and cited when it comes to all things gun.

Huh? I was referring to gun related injuries - you can google them.

 

[Artymoon]

Huh? I was referring to gun related injuries - you can good them.

Yes, I know.

 

[Slavister]

Yes, I know.

Well, in that case, I don't get the argument of sweeping firearm injuries under the rug.

 

[Artymoon]

Well, in that case, I don't get the argument of sweeping firearm injuries under the rug.

Many things can and do cause injuries whether from proper or improper use and there aren't many politicians or groups that are pushing for something based on injuries.