It pains me to see how loud socio-political sectarianism is in America, considering our media platform has far greater reach than any other one. When a demographic in the US screams, the world hears it. I have seen evidence of the rest of the world believing in a “gun culture” in America – immigrant social media groups saying they fear being shot if they come to the US, etc. This concept of a gun culture is a myth. It also is a near-sectarian sub-demographic that is loud.

In my 37 years I have spent about 27 of them in the US – in over 40 states inclusive of the far flung such as Hawaii and Alaska. I have lived in at least 5 of the states. Yet, this massive gun culture spoken of eludes me. I have only seen guns a handful of times.

Aside from Law Enforcement, Security and Military, I have seen a few people with guns in their own homes. A good example of this was my father who owned a few – I think one pistol, one rifle and one shotgun. I think I have only seen them used once as a child in North West US (where guns are far more tolerated).

Though some estimates put the number of guns in America as over 300 million – or that of our population. From a subjective experience they are not being carried around in public or flaunted in any way shape or form. Numbers however reveal that ownership by home is only at roughly 30% of American homes. Numbers also reveal this is mostly in rural areas.

Considering most people I have met with guns, tend to own plural, I would estimate that there are not 300 million people owning guns, but a small segment in mostly rural areas who own many guns. By age alone, you can assess that 20% of the country likely does not own a gun, because they are too young or too old. There is no reason to believe that that that 20% is not represented equally across gun owning and non-gun owning households.

Thus 20% of the 30% of gun owning households, are too young/old to even own guns – leaving say 26% of people with ownership. Without running numbers of those not able to own guns – those under state control (mental facilities, prison, etc) we can further whittle this number down even more. I would speculate that would cover at least another 6% of the population. Ergo we are looking at no more than 25% of the population, clustered in rural areas and being multi-gun owners.

Additionally, in my experience most gun-savvy gun-loving owners in rural areas are extremely gun-wise. It seems these people are not likely to be conducting crimes with guns. So we are not looking at a massive gun culture menacing from sea to shining sea. We are looking at most guns being owned by a niche group of people, while most crimes committed by another niche group of people.

Criminal statistics aside, the niche-ness of ownership highlight how the purported gun culture is a myth. You can easily live your entire life in America never seeing a gun in person unless you see a law enforcement officer. Those in America projecting this notion of a gun culture not only skew the domestic debate with scare tactics but they are damage our image abroad as gun toting fanatics.

*https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2019/10/22/facts-about-guns-in-united-states/

*https://www.npr.org/2016/01/05/462017461/guns-in-america-by-the-numbers