A new estimate on how many guns the average gun owner has

[SecularMotion]

Gun owners have doubled the number of firearms they own in the past two decades, says the Washington Post.

The average gun-owning household now owns an estimated 8.1 guns, compared with 4.1 guns in 1994. But, at the same time, less households actually own guns. The ownership estimates come from the Post’s Wonkblog, which analyzed results from surveys and data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.

Gun ownership is notoriously hard to track. Data from Gallup and the General Social Survey poll has shown that “the share of gun-owning households has been declining over the past 20 years and possibly more.” The most recent Gallup numbers say 43 percent of households have guns. Some 54 percent of households had one in late 1993. But surveys also show that gun ownership rates remain flat.

So, as the Post puts it, “gun purchases are being driven primarily by existing owners stocking up rather than first-time buyers.” Now, since these numbers are averages, it’s impossible to say if all gun owners are stockpiling arms or if a small number of gun owners are driving up the number for everyone (The Post notes a 2006 study that said “the top 3 percent of gun owners averaged over 25 firearms each&quot .

http://www.chron.com/national/article/A-new-estimate-on-how-many-guns-the-average-gun-6584060.php