Trigger Happy

**Shek** · 04-19-2008, 08:09 AM

Quote:

According to the 2006 General Social Survey, which has tracked gun ownership since 1973, 34% of American homes have guns in them. This statistic is sure to surprise many people in cities like San Francisco – as it did me when I first encountered it. (Growing up in Seattle, I knew nobody who owned a gun.)

Who are all these gun owners? Are they the uneducated poor, left behind? It turns out they have the same level of formal education as nongun owners, on average. Furthermore, they earn 32% more per year than nonowners. Americans with guns are neither a small nor downtrodden group.

Nor are they "bitter." In 2006, 36% of gun owners said they were "very happy," while 9% were "not too happy." Meanwhile, only 30% of people without guns were very happy, and 16% were not too happy.

In 1996, gun owners spent about 15% less of their time than nonowners feeling "outraged at something somebody had done." It's easy enough in certain precincts to caricature armed Americans as an angry and miserable fringe group. But it just isn't true. The data say that the people in the approximately 40 million American households with guns are generally happier than those people in households that don't have guns.

The gun-owning happiness gap exists on both sides of the political aisle. Gun-owning Republicans are more likely than nonowning Republicans to be very happy (46% to 37%). Democrats with guns are slightly likelier than Democrats without guns to be very happy as well (32% to 29%). Similarly, holding income constant, one still finds that gun owners are happiest.

**Shek** · 04-19-2008, 08:16 AM

Here's the underlaying survey:

General Social Survey 1972-2006 from NORC-GSS

dalem · 04-19-2008, 14:30 PM

I'm shopping for a new .45 myself. Maybe I'll head to the store and what there is to be seen.

And I'm a pretty happy guy.

-dale

7thsfsniper · 04-19-2008, 20:20 PM

Guns can actually cheer me up. Everytime I introduced someone to shooting they couldn't stop smiling for days. Odd, but guns seem to bring joy and happiness. I just love mine the big ones and the little ones!

gunnut · 04-21-2008, 13:44 PM

I'm surprised by the stat. I'm surprised that only 34% of American households have guns. I suppose a large number of households are in the coastal urban area where people are lazy and cling to their big government entitlement programs to provide them with everything from food stamps to security.

See, I can be just as elitist and idiotic as Obama.

04-19-2008, 20:20 PM	#4 (permalink)
7thsfsniper DEVOUT BIKER *Military Professional* Join Date: 02-29-08 Location: Missouri, pron"misery" Posts: 1,257 Country:	Guns can actually cheer me up. Everytime I introduced someone to shooting they couldn't stop smiling for days. Odd, but guns seem to bring joy and happiness. I just love mine the big ones and the little ones! __________________ May God have mercy upon my enemies, because I won't. - General George Patton Jr Last edited by 7thsfsniper : 07-08-2008 at 00:17 AM.

04-21-2008, 13:44 PM	#5 (permalink)
gunnut *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 01-27-06 Location: DPRK, Democratik People's Republik of Kalifornia Posts: 10,274 Country:	I'm surprised by the stat. I'm surprised that only 34% of American households have guns. I suppose a large number of households are in the coastal urban area where people are lazy and cling to their big government entitlement programs to provide them with everything from food stamps to security. See, I can be just as elitist and idiotic as Obama. __________________ "Only Nixon can go to China." -- Old Vulcan proverb.

Thread Tools
Show Printable Version Email this Page
Display Modes	Rate This Thread
Linear Mode Switch to Hybrid Mode Switch to Threaded Mode	Rate This Thread:

Similar Threads
Thread	Thread Starter	Forum	Replies	Last Post
Happy St Patrick's day!	crooks	World Affairs Board Pub	14	03-17-2007 20:06 PM
US senators call for direct strike inside Pakistan: Pressure tactics may trigger Mush	Tronic	Political Discussions	5	03-04-2007 04:15 AM
How can the Pakistani state be happy?	Ray	Political Discussions	0	01-02-2006 13:43 PM
The Happy Part of America	Leader	Current Affairs	56	06-26-2004 11:51 AM
Happy Independence Day!!!	rahul0072002	South Asian Defense Topics	14	08-17-2003 17:45 PM

04-19-2008, 08:16 AM	#2 (permalink)
Shek *Military Professional* Moderator Join Date: 02-23-05 Location: Krblachistan Posts: 7,981 Country:	Here's the underlaying survey: General Social Survey 1972-2006 from NORC-GSS

04-19-2008, 14:30 PM	#3 (permalink)
dalem Lord High Hullabalooster *Senior Contributor* Join Date: 11-23-04 Location: Columbia Heights, MN Posts: 8,765 Country:	I'm shopping for a new .45 myself. Maybe I'll head to the store and what there is to be seen. And I'm a pretty happy guy. -dale

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)