U.S. most armed country with 90 guns per 100 people ...

[spin]

GENEVA | Tue Aug 28, 2007 1:57pm EDT

(Reuters) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSL2834893820070828

This report dates from 2007. Gun sales in the U.S. increased dramatically after that year.

Gun sales shoot up amid America’s fear of rising crime and terrorism
November 16, 2009

Smith & Wesson, the famed American gunmaker once owned by Tomkins, the British conglomerate, expects to nearly double its annual sales in the next three to five years as demand for its firearms soars in the recession. It is not alone.

All over America demand for firearms and ammunition is rising amid concerns that rising unemployment, which passed 10 per cent this month, will lead inexorably to higher rates of crime. Fears of terrorism have also helped to lift demand, as have concerns among gun owners that the Obama Administration may introduce restrictions on gun ownership and impose additional taxes.

Smith & Wesson is expecting sales to rise by 30 per cent to $102 million (£61 million) in the first quarter of the next financial year, after growing by more than 13 per cent this year to $335 million.

At Sturm and Ruger, sales for the third quarter hit $71.2 million, up 70 per cent from the same period last year. At Glock, the leader in law enforcement markets, pistol sales rose by 71 per cent in the first quarter of the financial year for 2010, in comparison with the same period last year.

According to the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the FBI carried out more than a million background checks on behalf of gun dealers in September (a check is required with every sale), an increase of 12.4 per cent on the same period in the previous year.

Mike Golden, chief executive at Smith and Wesson, is sceptical about the so-called Obama effect on gun sales, believing that his company’s booming revenues have “nothing to do with the administration” and everything to do with the economy. emphasis added

“People are worried about personal protection with unemployment and crime on the rise,” he said in a presentation to investors, adding that 30 per cent of customers who had bought the company’s guns in the first half of this year were “first-time gun owners”, up from 9 per cent nine a year earlier.

Randy Williams, industry editor at Hoover, the research firm, agreed. “As an example of the personal safety and terrorism aspect, Smith & Wesson’s hunting rifle sales in 2009 dropped about 33 per cent at a time when the company’s other gun sales — revolvers, pistols, Walther imports, and tactical rifles — grew 33 per cent,” he said.
http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/engineering/article6917828.ece

[GreenStormCloud]

1. We need to get those other ten to buy a gun.

I will help some. My wife wants a gun for Christmas.

[damntexdem]

6. Screw you! I don't want one of those stinking things.

And you need to take a remedial statistics course. Ninety guns for every 100 people does not mean that 90 percent have guns. Many people have more than one gun; and a large proportion of us have none.

Some hunters have several guns, and that makes good sense for how they may pursue that avocation.

But it also means that some real whackos have armories that are major threats to the rest of us.

[TheWraith]

8. Calm down and grow a sense of humor.

And how is a whacko with an "armory" more a threat to you or anyone else than a regular whacko? A person can only shoot one gun at a time.

[shadowrider]

12. I'm more afraid of someone who's skilled in using a knife with a 6" blade

than I am a gun. If I hear the boom, I know something is up. You can't hear a knife, especially if they get the person between the ribs, puncture the lung and render the person unable to scream. Silent killer.

[PavePusher]

16. Two-gun mojo, my friend.

It is... teh awwwwwwsum.

[guardian]

58. A person can only shoot one gun at a time.

Unless you are Nick Cage or Chow Yun Fat. :-)

[shadowrider]

10. No one on this board is or has suggested you MUST have one

If you choose not to, more power to you.

[east texas lib]

18. Stay under your bed till the next Slobberbone show then, o rude one...

Wouldn't want you to feel threatened or anything.

[Callisto32]

23. How is it a threat.

Show me a man who can use more than 2 guns at a time, and still hit ANYTHING.


That's what I thought.

[GreenStormCloud]

30. You didn't get the joke. Well, it took Data several years to laugh about Farpoint. N/T

[Euromutt]

33. It sounded like a Yuri Orlov reference to me

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHn1zogeyO4

ORLOV: There are over 550 million firearms in worldwide circulation. That's one firearm for every twelve people on the planet. The only question is <pauses, drags on cigarette> "How do we arm the other eleven?"

A film well worth watching, but you have to watch the whole thing or you'll miss the point.

[GreenStormCloud]

40. Exactly. I love that film. Have watched it several times.

His speech at the last is a knockout.

[guardian]

43. Okay. I'll buy two to make up for you not owning. n/t

[PavePusher]

47. What number of guns must I own...

before I am in the "whacko" catagory?

Do they have to be specific types?

Are there "whacko" subsets? For instance, what if I only own elephant guns? More specifically, Red Elephant guns? Do they make me more or less "whacko" than if I owned Blue Elephant guns?

And how do I shoot Blue Elephants if I only have Red Elephant guns?

[Remmah2]

54. Technically it's the Hoppe's #9 that stinks. The cleaning solvent.

Firearms are manufactured mostly from steel, hence no odor.

[spin]

55. Some of us like the smell of Hoppe's #9 ...

Stroke of Marketing Genius: Hoppe's No. 9 Air Freshener - 19
by J. R. ABSHER August 06, 2010

We don’t know if it was a marketing professional or a grizzled old duck hunter who suggested it, but whoever came up with the idea for a new hanging air freshener imbedded with the scent of Hoppe’s No. 9 Gun Solvent deserves kudos from the hunting and shooting community.

Introduced this week by Hoppe’s Gun Care Products, the Hoppe’s No. 9 Air Freshener is recommended for the den, gun room, dog kennel or pickup truck—“anywhere you want the nostalgic smell of Hoppe’s No. 9.”

Frank Hoppe first developed a mix of 9 different ingredients to create the original Hoppe’s No. 9 gun solvent in 1903. Today, more than 100 years later, the smell of Hoppe’s gun cleaner continues to evoke fond memories of fathers, grandfathers, memorable hunts and great days in the field.

A 2008 book, “The Art of Manliness,” by Brett and Kay McKay, lists Hoppe’s No. 9 gun solvent as one of its “Top 15 Manly Smells,” along with hardware stores, gunpowder, Scotch whisky, campfires and barbershops.

[shadowrider]

9. I'm stuck between the following three

Springfield XD .40
S&W 38 revolver
(Both would be used for conceal carry and home defense)

or
Judge (.45acp or .410) (for home defense NOT conceal)

decisions, decisions

[benEzra]

36. IMO the XD is far superior for home-defense...

13 or 16 rounds of .40 S&W vs. 5 rounds of .45 Colt (not .45ACP, the old .45 Colt from the 1800's).

If you don't like the XD, the .38 (or a .357) would be my second choice. The Judge is a neat concept and is useful if you occasionally need to shoot snakes or something, but it's very heavy and very low capacity for a defensive handgun.

[jazzhound]

37. What benEzra said, and................

............is the XDM an option for you? Interchangeable grips, improved trigger & barrel. Of course, like the XD, the ability to add light/laser.

http://firearmfun.blogspot.com/2008/10/springfield-xdm-40.html

[X_Digger]

38. I'm thinking of getting an XDM for those reasons, plus..

.. not having to fire on an empty chamber to disassemble. (that just wigs me out.)

[timo]

61. i carry the xdm

.40 sweet shooting pistol, its my daily carry, best pistol I have ever owned

[krispos42]

42. If there's an adult in the house that may have to use it...

...that is NOT firearms-familiar, go with the revolver and keep it loaded with +P rounds. Double-action revolvers are pretty foolproof. No limp-wristing, no slide bite, no stovepipes, etc. Just point and shoot. And S&W makes 7-shot and 8-shot revolvers.


Otherwise, get the XD.

[spin]

62. S&W also makes revolvers that use a full moon clip ...

and make revolvers even faster to reload than speed loaders.


S&W pioneered the “half-moon” clip with their famed .45 caliber M1917 revolver (right). The new Performance Center M625 revolver continues this tradition with “full-moon” clip loading. PHOTOS BY JAMES WALTERS AND BUTCH SIMPSON
http://www.gundigest.com/article/The-N-Frame-Smith-Wesson-Revolver1/


686P Revolver with .357 Magnum ammunition in moon clips


Model 625 JM 45 acp

[Pavulon]

56. There is always the Glock19

concealable and with a +2 base plate is 19+1 of 9mm. In Speer golddot form it is effective and recoil is moderate. Later if you buy a small glock 26 you just keep a spare 19 rounder stowed. It will take the same mag from the large frame pistols.

Pretty sure they have a +2 baseplate in the 40 cal platform and the new gen4 shoots softer (I have tried 9mm not 40). Backstrap swaps out as well.

Simple, easy, effective.

[Ready4Change]

35. I'll buy a couple more the pick up the slack.

I've been planning to do so anyway. Now I'll feel better about it as my civic duty to help achieve parity.

;)

[DonP]

2. I might loan a Mosin Nagant or two - in a pinch ...

... to those poor folks that don't have a gun handy. Maybe they'll have more luck working the bolt with that old ammo than I have.

[SteveM]

3. Interesting take on the data...

"...while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people."

This not only suggests that the number/availability of guns is NOT related to low violent crime rates, but could suggest that the lack of guns in violent societies means easy pickins' for both criminals and corrupt LEOs/military forces.

[damntexdem]

4. A national disgrace!

Gunnuttery run wild.

[SteveM]

5. Bar-ROOM!

[shadowrider]

11. And I'm able to defend myself should the situation arise

The problem with that is what, exactly?

[proteus_lives]

32. We can always count on you to think Rights are a disgrace.

:eyes:

[PavePusher]

39. What are your constructive suggestions...

for Citizens to resist crime?

Please, we'd like to hear something that would be effective at the time of an attack or robbery.

[PavePusher]

57. I am deafened by the roar of the crickets. Go figure... n/t

[MercutioATC]

7. I'm doing my part.

Two people in my household, two guns.

Any less and somebody would be without...

[slackmaster]

13. No worries. I think I own 54 of them at the moment.

That takes dozens of people off the hook.

[DonP]

14. You got me - only 32 ... so far.

I guess I could help a few needy neighbors out if they wanted them.

[friendly_iconoclast]

15. My thanks to you and slackmaster for making up for me.

I haven't owned a gun in years. If and when my finances improve, I'll certainly look into something in .45 ACP for home defense.

Even Massachusetts' somewhat idiosyncratic 'approved' list allows for some quite nice semi-autos...

[oneshooter]

17. I guess I could open up my safes and arm 50-60 others.

20-30 more more if they don't mind using muzzle loaders. :-)

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[slackmaster]

46. I have enough Mosin-Nagants and Mausers to arm half the homes on my block

In case of zombie attack.

[Wickerman]

49. Nice recovery from the boating accident n/t

[aikoaiko]

60. It always makes me happy to see you post in this forum

:hi:

[tourivers83]

50. In the house.

Four handguns five long guns including a decent 6.5 Carcano from 1940. :hi:

[spin]

51. Welcome to DU. I have more handguns than long guns ...

17 handguns, 3 rifles and one 12 gauge coach gun. One of the rifles is a 1942 Swedish Mauser in 6.5x55mm and another is a 8 mm Mauser. Mausers are great rifles.

[tourivers83]

53. Happiness is a warm puppy and a handgun.

Thank you, I feel at home already and although I have never owned a Mauser I have always heard they are great weapons. Far superior to a Carcano. As far as handguns go I have two .38 specials, a .357, and a .22 Browning. I am hopeful of getting a .45 for Christmas.:toast:

[onehandle]

19. Most folk will never lose a toe, But then again, some folk'll... nt

[PavePusher]

21. Yes, freedom and liberty entail risk.

Fortunately, with firearms, the risk is relatively small, especially if you lead a peaceful, legal life.

Chose otherwise and your results may be less sanguine.

[Katya Mullethov]

28. Less sanguine

and more exsanguinating

[one-eyed fat man]

20. I could use a little help with the crew-served stuff.

Special consideration to those who:

have their own headspace and timing gauges and know how to use them

can use an M1A1 gunner's quadrant

know the difference between plunging and grazing fire

understand and can apply the WORM formula

[PavePusher]

22. I'm a fast learner...

and already have experience humping ammo cans.

I can generally carry 2-3 standard U.S. .50 cal cans....

[oneshooter]

24. Been a while but " W = RM or "Width = Range times Mils"

To be honest I had to look thru my manuals. Haven't used, or thought about it in years.

I have both M1919 and M2 guages.

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[one-eyed fat man]

25. another way to remember

Write it this way:

Width
____________________

Range X Mils


or as the mnemonic "width over range times mils"

Cover the "part" you're solving for and do what you see, i.e., You want to find out the width of the target, multiply the range by the mils.

You need the range, divide the width by the mils.

Did they still teach the gunner's rule for determing troop safety factor for overhead fire when you were on active duty?

Or how to lay guns parallel, like an artillery battery?

[oneshooter]

29. I was a 0311, USMC, E5. That formula was given to me as part of a

Combined arms exercise. They wanted to see how difficult it would be to cross train for other units. Didn't work, too much confusion!

It sounded familiar and I found that in one of my manuals. Got a couple of shelfs of them from the USMC to Rhodesia, South Africa, Brazil, Mexico, and a half a dozen other places. I just don't throw anything away!

Oneshooter
Armed and Livin in Texas

[one-eyed fat man]

34. MIL relation

The MIL as used in gunnery in the US military is actually a corruption of the milliradian.

One radian is the angle subtended at the center of a circle by an arc that is equal in length to the radius of the circle. As the circumference of a circle is diameter times pi it is also 2 radii times pi or 6.28318 radians (or 6283.18 milliradians)

Metric prefixes have limited use with radians, however, an approximation of the milliradian (0.001 rad), known as the mil is used in gunnery and targeting. Based upon an approximation of π = 3.2, there are 6400 mils in a complete rotation. This also simplifies mental math. Being based on the milliradian, it corresponds roughly to an angle subtended by 1 m at a range of 1000 m (at such small angles, the curvature is negligible). The divergence of laser beams is also usually measured in milliradians.

It's is the MIL relation that is the basis for the reticles found in M17 and M19 binoculars, the MIL-DOT sights used by snipers and the T&E mechanisms on machineguns as well as the azimuth on military compasses and aiming circles. From a practical standpoint artillery men and tank crewman have always seemed to have a better grasp of the concept than infantrymen.

It wasn't always so, but it is observable now when you watch a couple of Bradley's engaging targets. The infantry crew uses the 30mm like a big machinegun, that is they start shooting and "walk" tracers onto a target. The cavalry scouts use the 30mm like a precision weapon in that they fire one round that either hits what they are shooting at or is so close there is little doubt as to what the object of their intent is.

As far as cross-training other units and MOS's, across all branches and across all wars, for the Combat Arms soldiers, the breakdown for effectiveness has stayed pretty constant. Heraclitus had it right over 3000 years ago:

"Of every 100 men, 10 shouldn't even be there, 80 are nothing but targets, nine are real fighters... We are lucky to have them...

They make the battle. Ah, but the One, One of them is a Warrior... and He will bring the others back."

[cowman]

26. How about a dozer

with a .50 mounted on the side and a seat for the gunner?
Have a pic somewhere of my dozer in Nam with my gunner in the seat.
will try to post later.

[-..__...]

27. How many guns do I have....

more than I need, but not as many as I want.

Ain't this country great? B-) B-)

Now go stuff that in your pipe and smoke it because I really don't give a flying fuck how armed we are... the more the merrier :evilgrin:

[AtheistCrusader]

41. I would honestly have to do inventory to be sure.

I don't even know.

[spin]

52. I run into the same problem.

I believe that I have 17 handguns and 3 rifles. I could be off by a couple. I do need to run an inventory this week.

[DissedByBush]

59. With those statistics

There can be quite a few people who don't own any guns and I just upped the average to .9 guns per person.

[Endangered Specie]

31. That few?

[Bold Lib]

44. Why 90 guns per 100 people? Most would represent that as 9 per 10 people.

Why not 900 out of 1000? Very odd to say 90 out of 100.

[Glassunion]

45. Actually I look at it more like 3807 out of every 4230.

But if I want to make it scary for media purposes I would say that there are 5,999,999,994 guns for every 6,666,666,660 people in America. Bigger numbers are more scary.

[Euromutt]

48. I think it says something about the margin of error

I have to reach far back in my memory to secondary school physics classes, but I seem to recall something about a convention that, when you list a number as the result of a measurement or estimate, the smallest digit can be off by half either way, but no more.

By that token, if you estimate 9 guns for every 10 Americans, that could mean anywhere between 8.5 and 9.5 guns per 10 Americans, i.e. 85-95 guns per 100 Americans. But when you say 90 guns for every 100 Americans, that implies the actual number is somewhere between 89.5 and 90.5. Of course, claims of such a level of accuracy may not be warranted, in which case I refer you to Glassunion's post above.