GUN OWNERSHIP VS. GUN VIOLENCE

The ownership and control of guns is one of the most widely debated issues in the U.S.

Gun rights advocates state that increased ownership of guns will result in a decrease in crime and that gun control laws will just limit access to law abiding citizens and make them more vulnerable to armed criminals.

Liberal politicians and the media continuously state that the prevalence of firearms increases violent crime and that is why we need gun control laws. But, which is true?

The first question is “Is gun violence increasing or decreasing?”

Although mass shootings have been covered extensively in the media, mass shootings account for a small fraction of gun related deaths. However, the frequency of mass shootings have risen since 2007.

A 2014 Pew Research study concluded that from 1993 to 2014, the gun homicide rate has decreased by 49% from 7 homicides per 100,000 population to 3.4 homicides per 100,000 population.

Despite what most Americans think, the trend of gun violence is actually decreasing.

The second question is “Is gun ownership increasing or decreasing?”

A 2013 Gallup poll found that the household ownership of firearms was approximately the same in 2013 as it was in 1970-43% , and individual ownership rose from 27% of Americans in 200 to 29% in 2013.

A General Social Survey found that gun ownership by households has declined steadily from about 50% in the late 1970’s to 32% in 2015 and ownership by individuals has declined from 31% in 1985 to 22% in 2014.  

Gun ownership figures are generally estimated via polling, by such organizations as the General Social Survey (GSS), Harris Interactive, and Gallup. There are significant disparities in the results across polls by different organizations, calling into question their reliability.

There is no actual database or organization that tracks gun ownership. Most reports of gun ownership are estimates based on suicide rates, the number of gun permits issued, opinion polls etc.

The truth is that the actual number of guns owned by Americans cannot be reliably determined.

The last question is “Is there a correlation between gun violence and gun ownership”

While there have been a umber of studies pointing to increased gun ownership resulting in less crime there are an equal number of studies pointing to increased gun ownership resulting in more crime.

As we have just shown though, gun violence is decreasing and gun ownership cannot be reliably determined. So what is true about gun ownership and gun violence will likely continue to be hotly debated because the answer cannot be readily determined.