Study: 9 Guns for Every 10 Americans

[SteelersMongol]

GENEVA (AP) - There are nine guns for every 10 people in the United States, with about 270 million firearms in circulation, according to a report released Tuesday.

Worldwide, civilians now have access to 650 million small arms - from handguns to semiautomatic rifles - an arsenal that far outstrips what is held by police and militaries, according to the annual Small Arms Survey. It estimates that civilians account for about three-fourths of the 875 million such weapons in circulation.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we previously believed," the director of the Geneva-based group, Keith Krause, told reporters.

But it is the United States that has the heaviest concentration of firearms.

Of the 8 million new firearms manufactured annually around the world, roughly 4.5 million are bought in the United States.

Other countries with high per capita ownership include Yemen, with 61 small arms per 100 people; Finland with 56; Switzerland with 46 and Iraq with 39.

Much lower on the scale are Brazil, with nine guns per 100 people, England and Wales with six, India with four, China with three and Nigeria with one.

The report notes that only about 12 percent of all weapons worldwide are registered with authorities, making it difficult to collect exact data on gun possession. Five years ago the group estimated a total of 640 million small arms worldwide.

"There's a large number of states in the middle, mostly northern industrial states in Western Europe and North America," said Krause, citing France, with 32 per 100 people; Canada and Sweden, with 31 each and Germany, with 30.

The figures dispel the idea that gun ownership and high levels of violence necessarily go hand in hand, he said.

"There's no clear relationship between more guns and higher levels of violence," Krause said, pointing to low ownership and high crime rates in Latin America.

He said studies had shown that gun violence often occurred in places undergoing rapid urban growth, and when lawless areas are created by extreme poverty and the absence of effective policing.

The problem is worsened when members of government or police forces sell ammunition on the black market, Krause said.

In Rio de Janeiro, "a combination of factors suggest that state security forces - most notably the police - are the source of much of the assault rifle ammunition in the hands of criminal gangs," the report said.

Thousands of arms supplied to Iraq by the United States are believed to have been acquired by insurgents through rogue elements in the Iraqi security forces.

Sudan, meanwhile, has purchased more than 25 million firearms in recent years - mostly from China and Iran - despite well-documented human rights violations committed by government-backed militias.

Krause said wealthy countries with lower crime rates, such as those in the 27-nation European Union, are dealing with an increased flow of small arms across borders where controls have been loosened.

Recent shootings in Britain - where ownership is severely restricted and the gun crime rate is low - highlight the need for greater police cooperation in Europe, he said.

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Small Arms Survey: http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/

[SteelersMongol]

What do you, my fellow Americans, think of this? To me it wasn't really shocking, but 9 guns for 10 is way too many than I could eve imagine.

Also Finland 56/100 and Switzerland with 46/100 is kind of surprise.

[Hammer67]

It's not like every 9 Americans own a gun. The reson there aren't as many in some of the countries mentioned is because they have strict gun laws (and the crime levels are really not all that different...hmmmmm.

Anyway, there are people like my uncle who collects guns from different eras and is an outdoors man and hunter. He is the kind of guy that I don't mind that he owns guns. Most crimes are committed by guns obtained illegally.

[SteelShooter]

only 9 for every 10????????

I need to buy a few more to get our numbers up!

Seriously though,

I am an example of one of those "typical gun-toting Americans" SteelersMongol. I own a few weapons myself. Some are for home defense, some are for plinking and targeting, but the vast majority of mine are for hunting. One weapon does not allow me to pursue the wide variety of game that I enjoy hunting. Different situations call for different applications, therefore different weapons.

I have never committed a crime and I have faithfully served my country's military for more than 20 years. I truly do not believe I am a threat to society.

Keep in mind; were it not for an armed civilian populace, neither this wonderful United States of America, nor my beloved Texas would have won their independance.

[X-Terminator]

Originally Posted by Hammer67

It's not like every 9 Americans own a gun. The reson there aren't as many in some of the countries mentioned is because they have strict gun laws (and the crime levels are really not all that different...hmmmmm.

Anyway, there are people like my uncle who collects guns from different eras and is an outdoors man and hunter. He is the kind of guy that I don't mind that he owns guns. Most crimes are committed by guns obtained illegally.

Which, of course, is the one thing that the anti-gun people conveniently overlook. You think gang members and drug dealers buy their guns legally? And I don't want to hear the excuse "Well, if there weren't so many guns in America, the criminals wouldn't have such easy access to them." The fact that criminals are still getting their hands on them in places like the UK, where they are in essence banned, renders that statement

[tony hipchest]

Originally Posted by SteelShooter

only 9 for every 10????????

I need to buy a few more to get our numbers up!

Seriously though,

I am an example of one of those "typical gun-toting Americans" SteelersMongol. I own a few weapons myself. Some are for home defense, some are for plinking and targeting, but the vast majority of mine are for hunting. One weapon does not allow me to pursue the wide variety of game that I enjoy hunting. Different situations call for different applications, therefore different weapons.

I have never committed a crime and I have faithfully served my country's military for more than 20 years. I truly do not believe I am a threat to society.

Keep in mind; were it not for an armed civilian populace, neither this wonderful United States of America, nor my beloved Texas would have won their independance.

im with steelshooter (although i have a bit more buying to "catch up")

my grandpa gave me my winchester .22 when i was 9 or 10 years old. i dont hunt, havent been target shooting in a while, and have my "gats" securely locked away, out of the home, in a buddies gun cabinet.

the thing about guns, is that they are kinda fun, mongol. its kind of like americans and their muscle cars. a 69 camaro isnt efficient or practical, but we love them just the same (even though people get wreckless and careless with them). most owners are honorable and law abiding citizens though. as a foreigner im sure you have noticed that americans tend to like everything in excess.

not to belittle the problem though. for industrilized nations we do have one of the worst crime rates. mix that with a capitalistic society full of "haves" and "have nots" and the crime is understandable, especially when inner city ghettos have gun stores, and liquor stores on every corner.

[Preacher]

I live in California.

This website is public.

Thus.


I..............OWN................NO.............. ....GUNS!!!!!!

[Steelerstrength]

I've got a sweet Remington rifle .177 Cal. Pellet gun! Fiber optic sighting and pistol grip! It is my weapon against the skunks in my backyard. They sprayed my wolf twice within three days, so I had to put an end to it. I couldn't go into my backyard at night without seeing one or two of them digging for bugs, and they would not leave for anything! I threw 5 lb. weights at them and they showed me their ass!

Not much of a gun, but it's perfect for what I need.

[Virginia Steeler]

just my 2 cents, but it isn't the guys with shotguns and hunting rifles committing the crimes with guns...way more often than not, it is some idiot with a handgun....

i'm all for bearing arms, I have 2 shotguns myself, but it just angers me to no end how people misusing hand guns mess it up for those of us who hunt and act responsibly.

[stillers4me]

I do not own a gun.

But bygawd, this is the Unitied States of America and don't anyone EVER tell me I can't.