Half of all guns owned in America are possessed by 3 percent of adults, according to a study by Harvard and Northeastern universities.
The survey was provided in advance of publication to The Trace and The Guardian.
These individuals, termed “super-owners,” own on average 17 guns a piece. The survey bucked traditional questionnaires by asking “how many guns do you own,” not “is there a gun in the house?”
According to The Trace, the study asserts there are 265 million privately owned firearms in the U.S. The Guardian reported that 133 million of those guns were in the hands of those “super-owners,” a group of 7.7 million people.
Meanwhile, the percentage of Americans who own guns has decreased by 3 percent since 1994, and an estimated 55 million gun owners have only three firearms on average.
The Trace and The Guardian are partnering to do a series of investigative pieces centered on the yet-unpublished study.
Though the data is unavailable to other sources, the highlights include:
- Handguns have grown in popularity, accounting for 42 percent of civilian firearms.
- The number of female gun owners is increasing, but they are more likely to own a sole handgun and focus on self-defense.
- Fear is now the primary motivation for ownership, not sport.
- “Super-owners” possessing 50 percent of America’s privately owned guns is not surprising to marketing gurus, who said a small percent of enthusiastic consumers typically account for a high percentage of any given product’s sales.
– Newschannel 6
