Suppose some anonymous person called you on the phone and said “Hi! Take my word for it, I’m an impartial researcher taking a poll. Do you or do you not have a lot of cash, jewelry, or negotiable bonds in your home?”
How many people would answer “yes” and make themselves a target for burglary or home invasion?
Let’s not forget, about the only things thieves can steal from you and sell to a fence or on the black market for more than their intrinsic value instead of a dime on the dollar are prescription pain-killers and…firearms. No one should be surprised when gun owners are hesitant to reveal that they have valuable things in their home which would appeal to thieves. I’m not the only one who thinks we gun owners go under-counted. Spare just a few minutes for this informative short read, please.
I ran into that article elsewhere and think the under-count is fact. The question is how much of an under-count exists. I dimly recall a survey from the last century that had gun ownership around 50%.
While a completely separate topic, there’s also the intrusive questions on firearms ownership that crept into medical forms some time back via the CDC. Don’t know if they’re still playing that game. On a non defunct forum a member who worked in medical ethics back then, stated that an appropriate answer to that question is: “boundary violation”.
Proof read failure: that was supposed to be “now defunct forum”.
I will not even make the call of “boundary violation”. I simply ignore such questions, along with others I place in the Nunya Bidniss group.
things like vaccination status sexual ctovity questions, booze, etc. Only questions directly related to the issue being the caus of my prsence there.
Never been called on anything, let alone denied service or otherwise directly confronted.
Firearms present or absent on my property do not relate to any aspect of my physical or mental health. My strongly held position is that those who demand answers to such intrusive questions are the ones with mental/moral health issues.
To that question I replied, “Guns?!?! Guns are dangerous!!!” The doc grinned and moved on.
It’s no surprise that people don’t want to discuss their possession of firearms with some random stranger. Everyone from your doctor, teacher, Social Security Administration to the VA views firearms ownership as a disease and you as a potential murderer in the making. I don’t discuss my guns with casual acquaintances or some family members because it is none of their damn business.
Even if they knew for certain the number of “shy” gun owners, there is zero reason for them to disclose it rather than the surveyed number.
Two things to keep in mind:
1. Most (not all, but most) “gun violence researchers” are “gun control” activists first, academics/researchers a distant second — and ethics be damned.
2. “Gun control” is not about safety; it’s about control.
A majority population is much easier to control if you can (somehow) convince them they are a minority. Soviet Russia’s propaganda machines worked tirelessly to do just that: convince dissenters that they were alone — and publicly make a few “examples” — when in fact the vast majority had those forbidden thoughts but was too afraid to come forward. In that case, the propaganda worked. (Until it didn’t; look up “preference cascade”.)
This would be no different. Most gun owners “know” they are a minority, that only about 1 in 3 are fellow peaceably armed citizens. But suppose for a second: What if it were closer to 2 in 3, and gun owners knew it?
What if instead of voting for the “compromise” measure that results in the smallest loss of gun rights, we had the electoral weight to kill all “gun control” and “compromise” measures, and enact for measures that repeal “gun control” statutes and expand gun rights, knowing they will pass because we hold the majority?
That idea scares the ever-loving hell out of “gun control”
researchersactivists, so they have a vested interest in NOT publishing that finding — and ethics be damned.Very good points indeed. I’m of the “don’t ask don’t tell” school with regard to not just just guns but most other things of value, and always have been. However, I did learn a valuable lesson when I was around 21 that reinforced the importance of this policy.
I’m of the opinion that you should tell as few people as possible that you carry or own guns. I’d even keep it from family.
My narcissistic cousin used my gun ownership to force me to let her have her way with my aunt’s estate. She threatened to file a fake restraining order, which would cause nightmares with my second amendment rights if I raised objections to her taking control of my aunt. I obviously backed off, which meant my aunt’s wishes to stay in her home, and use her money to hire help were thwarted, so my cousin could increase her inheritance.
My aunt casually mentioned it to my cousin years ago, and my cousin filed it away to use when she needed it.
Tell no one.
My doctor asked me the same question, and I told her that I declined to answer. When she asked why, I told her that if I told her that I had guns, it would open me to theft and possible attack. If I told her that I didn’t have guns, it would let the world know I was unarmed, and open to attack.
She accepted that answer.
Well said!
We are not shy gun owners but rather savvy gun owners. The government would be well served to presume the majority of all citizens are responsible gun owners then govern accordingly.
“An armed society is a polite society. Manners are good when one may have to back up his acts with his life.” — Robert A. Heinlein
Which is why totalitarians are so keen to turn America into a disarmed society. Then they don’t have to be polite.
“…a member who worked in medical ethics back then, stated that an appropriate answer to that question is: “boundary violation”.”
My standard answer: “The only fool bigger than one who would ask that question is one who would answer it.”
My real answer: “I am the weapon. The tools I use are whatever is available, starting with tactical nukes and working my way down to what I can get my hands on.”
Kay,
You agree with John Rambo. In one of his movies he states that he believes the primary weapon is the mind.
You have that backwards.
My “real answer”, above, is a direct quote from my training classes of long ago.
I was teaching my soldiers that LONG before “First Blood”.
The writers of that series didn’t get it from me, but it has been common knowledge since the dawn of Man.
Makes sense for any gun owner to not answer questions about ownership. The survey takers are not to be trusted.
When I am asked to participate in a survey (gun or otherwise), I simply refuse stating “I don’t do surveys” and then hang up. Usually – nothing good comes from putting out personal information.
Here is a quote from Prof. Richard Feynman, Theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize Winner (and a very smart guy) for those who understand it. . .
” There are two rules in life:
1) Never give out all the information.”
I simply don’t respond to polls. Any polls. The only ones that count happen in November.
I stopped responding to polls after I realized they only accept canned answers. (With the exception of my union’s surveys; I’m not shy about telling them what I think.)
Sure, you can give your “strongly agree, somewhat agree, somewhat disagree, strongly disagree, neither agree nor disagree, or don’t know” answer, but they have no space for your reasoning or why you’re answering that way.
Or the options might be (loosely based on a real survey I did answer):
a. I strongly support stronger gun laws, including universal background checks, registration, and mental health evaluations.
b. I somewhat support some stronger gun laws, including strengthening background checks and making it harder to get a license to carry a gun in public.
c. I support enforcing our current laws, but do not support stronger “gun safety” legislation to save the lives of children.
d. I don’t know.
There’s no option there for “I support repealing unconstitutional gun laws,” and there’s no way for them to type in that response. So your choices are really: a/b. I support more unconstitutional infringements; c. I support our current unconstitutional infringements (and I’m a heartless bastard); or d. I am ignorant or incompetent on this subject.
“Polls” are a scam. They’re a way for pundits and politicians to point to the results and say, “This is what the people want,” but the questions and responses are worded so the only options are either what the politicians want or the bare minimum they’re willing to give, and they never want to know your reasoning — I assume because then they’d have to come up with some original thought themselves as to why they’re going against the will of the People.
Archer,
You are so right!
I would imagine gun ownership in the largest metro areas runs about 15 to 20 % with the vast majority of those folks owning only 1 firearm contrast that to rural America where firearm ownership may very well exceed 80% with the vast majority of these folks owning 5 or more firearms…..probably why you don’t see flash mobs of Antifa or BLM in these small towns….Try that in a small town.
In addition, there are very few gun ranges in metro areas, so it’s a safe bet that 15-20% who owns one firearm, probably is only minimally familiar with how to use it.
Contrast with rural areas, where gun ranges are more common, both formal (businesses and clubs) and informal (BLM land, or someone’s back 40 with a bulldozed berm). It’s much easier to practice and build that familiarity and competence.
As with all things, there are exceptions — you can find urban single-gun owners who are dedicated and skilled shooters, and you can find rural multi-gun owners who’ve never fired most of their guns — but those are uncommon.
Which is worse, to disclose that you have something worth stealing or that you are defenseless against thievery? A positive non-response seems the only option, as in “I don’t do polls”.
Who cares how many gun owners there are in America? We know that since Doctor Faustus invented the China virus, and gave it to China, so they could spread it to the world, the happy unintended consequence of that action is that America now has more guns than people. THAT IS A VERY GOOD THING!
It mentioned a great decline in telephone survey participation over the last twenty years. Twenty years ago I would tend to answer surveys and then stopped.
One reason is stupid question similar to, “Which of these brands five brands of house paint best suggests to you security and motherly love?”
The other are questions forcing a choice between two untenable choices, perhaps to force a reportable false conclusion, e.g., “Which do you think is true? (A) Poor people deserve to be poor because they are morally demented, or (B) Poor people are poor because of capitalist exploitation.” Me: “I agree with neither.” Survey taker, “Yes, but pick the one you think is _more_ true.”
My father taught me to answer this question by say that “it was none of your business” and that 50 years ago. Why do these “smart people(?)” believe we would answer any different!
There is a worldwide effort to herd human populations, as if they were cattle or sheep, in the direction that the elite class wants them to go. Here are just a few obvious examples:
1) Advertisements have moved from merely offering a product or service to the market (a soft sale) to “hard”, mass-marketing sales techniques designed to “push” the public into buying expensive products or services that offer dubious value for the money. These “Hard Sale” techniques keep the population loaded with debts while enriching the global corporations and the elites who control them.
2) Schools and universities no longer seek to just education the young. Rather, they have become indoctrination centers designed to push an ideology onto the population. It is brainwashing rather than education.
3) Media outlets no longer seek to just report the news and keep the public informed. Rather, they have become pure propaganda outlets that routinely push disinformation onto the population. It is State run propaganda designed to reinforce elite control and “push” the public into supporting policies that are ill-advised and, very often, contrary to the public good.
4) The medical field can no longer be trusted. Public medical advice is, often, designed to push elite policies and to promote elite class power rather than benefit public health. The response to Covid-19 illustrates this truth like nothing else could.
5) Science can no longer be trusted. Science has turned away from the scientific method and a search for facts. Rather, it has deteriorated to merely the “scientific opinion” of “experts”. Experts that were appointed to their positions by the elite class. As a result, these “opinions” seek to push elite policies onto the public under the guise of scientific authority. Here is a prime example of opinion masquerading as science:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scientific_consensus_on_climate_change
6) Polling is no longer being done to find the stance of the public on particular topics. Instead, today’s polls are loaded with “leading” questions and are structured to elicit specific responses. They have become “push polls” designed to modify public opinion rather than report on it.
Everywhere one looks in today’s world, one sees a constant stream of lies, disinformation, and manipulation all of which is designed to “herd” the populations of the World in the direction that the elite classes desire. A direction that reduces freedom, eliminates democracy, and impoverishes the People while expanding the power, wealth, and control of the elites.
No wonder that no one wants to answer ANY polls. Why play along with their lies and games? What do the People have to gain except to participate in their own enslavement? The elites are striving mightily to place us all in their chains. Why aid them by holding out our hands so that they can bind us more easily?
I don’t answer ANY polls. Not merely those related to firearms but no polls at all. Every pollster can be assumed to have some angle or agenda that he or she is pushing. One cannot assume that any pollster is trustworthy.
In fact, the word “trustworthy” is just about obsolete in today’s World. Who can you trust? Our politicians? Our government? The media? The education system? The medical field? Science? Hahaha. What a joke!
Quote of the Day:
“In God we Trust.”
As far as I can see, God is the only thing still standing that is trustworthy. Honesty is so crushed in today’s World, that I find it almost impossible to trust any human beings. Certainly, our elite “ruling” class, and their paid minions, have shown themselves to be utterly untrustworthy.
Scientific research outside the hard sciences has been manipulated for various reasons for decades. It’s not a new development. Part of it’s driven by the academic world and the internal politics therein, part by individual ego and part by the need to satisfy those who might fund the “research”. Data mining is rampant and study design is often grossly deficient.
Back in the 70s (1970s thank you) my thesis adviser had to explain academic “realities” to me about the horribly flawed “studies” published in allegedly peer reviewed publications. The review standard appeared to be “Judge not, lest ye be judged”.
Long ago, the legacy media was openly biased. Then there was a period where they claimed to be dispassionate fact reporters, now we’re back to biased reporting, they just aren’t up front about it. Even in the days of allegedly “just the facts” reporting, the accuracy could be very debatable. I recall an event I had personal knowledge of. If the major paper hadn’t published the address, I wouldn’t have realized it was the event I knew of.
We’re back to printing the legend, not the facts.
> 5) Science can no longer be trusted.
—
Don’t confuse science and scientists with grant whores at universities.
Though since the grant whores have largely persuaded most people they’re scientists instead of academics, I can see where the difference might not be apparent at first glance.
The label “Shy Gun Owner” should possibly be renamed, “Smart Gun Owner.” I certainly feel that what we own or not is an inappropriate question for a stranger to ask. No matter what the result of the surgery turns out to show, it will be used against us in the MSM. Now just for the fun of it you could answer, ” Ya, I’ve got tons of high dollar guns and I keep them next to my loose diamond collection right next to the medicine cabinet that I keep my narcotics in.”
This is a bit off topic but I thought that I would highlight this story:
https://currently.att.yahoo.com/att/cm/parents-bawl-chaotic-tennessee-special-201050366.html
In a previous comment, I mentioned that our media outlets have deteriorated into pure propaganda sources. The story above illustrates this perfectly. Rather than simply reporting the results of the Tennessee Special Session, as a true journalist would, this media story seeks to baldly manipulate the public, on a pure emotional level, by showing liberal tears being shed because the American Left did not get their way. The Tennessee Legislature passed on this opportunity to trample further upon our 2nd Amendment Rights.
The result? A host of liberal tools are crying boo-hoo because they did not get their way this time!
Ah! I find a bath in liberal tears soooo refreshing! 🙂
And from what I heard from other folks following it, the Tennessee Special Session was hardly “chaotic”. Other than a few activists who tried to hijack the proceedings — and were properly rounded up and escorted out — it sounded surprisingly boring. Little got passed (good or bad) and it ended with more of a fizzle than a bang.
The most interesting fallout has yet to materialize: From what I hear, Gov. Bill Lee (R) supported and asked for a “Red Flag” law, which didn’t pass, and most Tennesseans don’t want. There seems to be some question over whether his governorship will survive the next election over that failure to “read the room”.
@ Archer – “From what I hear, Gov. Bill Lee (R) supported and asked for a “Red Flag” law, which didn’t pass, and most Tennesseans don’t want.”
Very true. Outside of the “Blue Stains” in Tennessee (the Cities of Nashville and Memphis), the support for Gov. Lee’s “Red Flag” law was probably in the single digits. Frankly, I can’t understand what could have possibly motivated Gov. Lee to push for more Gun Control in this State. He had to have known that his own Party did not support it. His actions were foolish. He, effectively, acted to support the opposition Party. Did he suddenly morph into a RINO or a quisling?
This was all triggered by the Nashville Covenant School Shooting. Lest we forget, here is what happened:
1) A left-wing transgender nutjob invaded the Christian school and killed several people, including children, before he/she/it was put down by police.
2) The nutjob wrote a manifesto which has been ruthlessly suppressed by the American Left. It has not been released even yet (months after the event). We can safely assume that this manifesto is full of left-wing ravings since it has been suppressed. If it had been the ravings of a white supremacist or a right-wing pro-gun fanatic, the manifesto would have been published within a day and broadcasted 24/7 by every media source in America. Suppression = Left-wing manifesto.
3) Then, Gov. Lee foolishly started to push (hard) for left-wing firearms-prohibition policies. His actions strengthened the opposition Party while sowing discord inside his own Party.
4) The democrats and their left-wing supporters seized this opportunity, handed to them by Gov. Lee, to dance in the blood (of their victims!), protest, engage in media grandstanding, and project their GUILT onto legal gun owners and Republicans. The Left lined up “weeping parents”, to use as political props, and did their best to turn the event into their clown show.
It was all a clusterf##k of the first order. Another case of the Republican Party (The Stupid Party) shooting itself in the foot and then handing a whip to the opposition so that they can be beaten (with it) even harder. What the hell was Gov. Lee thinking? Did he expect to win the love of the democrats by such acts? Did he expect their media attack dogs to lick him rather than bite him?
If so, then he is a fool. You cannot appease the American Left any more than Chamberlain could appease Hitler. To borrow a line from the Movie “Darkest Hour”: “You cannot reason with a Tiger when your head is in its mouth!”
I guess as long as the Republican Party has stupid leaders, it will remain ‘The Stupid Party”. It has been so long since I have seen the Republican Party do something smart, I can’t even remember it.
@TN_MAN: Agreed on all points, and well put!
I don’t think I will ever understand why any Republican would come out and support “gun control”. Strategically and tactically, it weakens one’s position, along with that of the party, while strengthening the opposition. It also betrays and undermines the voter base’s interests, and nothing douses the “fire in the bellies” if one’s supporters faster or more thoroughly than betrayal. (Smokey the Bear would be proud.) The voter base will remember this come re-election time.
Also, the GOP has a majority in the legislature, so any “gun control” proposals could be killed outright; there is zero reason to preemptively surrender to appease the Democrats. And at the end of the day, Democrats will still vote for the ‘D’ no matter what bones they get thrown, so why would any ‘R’ even try?
To stretch your “Darkest Hour” analogy: Why would Gov. Lee open negotiations with a caged tiger by entering the cage and placing his head in its mouth?
I can only think of two reasons why Gov. Lee might do this, and neither bodes well for his immediate future, or Tennessee’s future under his “leadership”:
1. He is a prime example of the GOP being The Stupid Party, both for preemptively surrendering from a position of strength, and for thinking appeasement ever works.
2. He is a collectivist controller at heart, and this is where he thought to increase controls — on the back of a tragedy and in the blood of dead children, just like Everytown does. (Rahm “Never let a crisis go to waste” Emmanuel would be proud.)
Finally, I am extremely interested in what was in the Covenant school killer’s manifesto. I’ve read other mass-shooters’ manifestos, and most of them are clearly left-leaning but otherwise barely coherent; bad grammar and spelling, disjointed trains of thought, hard-to-follow “word salad” reasoning. The (very) few “right-wing” ones are equally indiscernible. But none of them were subjected to the level of censorship the one from Covenant school is.
Therefore, I suspect it is both left-leaning and clearly written. I suspect the shooter was probably not crazy/unhinged and had very well-thought-out reasons and goals for: A. bypassing schools where he/she/it might meet armed resistance; B. specifically attacking a Christian religious school, where the students and parents are more likely to lean conservative; and C. shooting at responding police. And I suspect all of the goals and reasoning are stated in the manifesto and align perfectly with the Democrat Party and/or the “LGBTQIAA2S++ agenda”.
Without the manifesto itself, that is all speculation. But I believe my reasoning is sound; other than perfectly-aligned ideology, “clarity” is the most likely variable that would trigger such an information lock-down. And if so, the censorship likely has nothing to do with preventing copy-cats; it’s entirely to protect the Democrat Party and LGBTQIAA2S++ agendas.
@ Archer – “Finally, I am extremely interested in what was in the Covenant school killer’s manifesto…..But none of them were subjected to the level of censorship the one from Covenant school is.”
You are probably correct. This manifesto must be more clearly written than most nutjob jobs. 🙂 Furthermore, it must be EXTREMELY damaging to the American Left. It must clearly illustrate the obscene nature of left-wing ideology which idolized the murder and rape of children (abortion, child sex trafficking, child pornography, mass murder of children to be used as sacrificial victims to push their political agenda, etc.). It probably reflects the left’s hatred of religion and God too. We can only assume it is bad given this vigorous level of censorship and suppression. The censorship goes all the way up to the FBI. Probably to all the way up to Biden’s handlers!
The left-wing media attack dogs make trivial noises about protesting this censorship but, really, they are going along with it. If they really cared about it, they would be howling and the lawsuits would be flying.
Various reasons have been given as to why it is being suppressed:
1) It is still under investigation. (Horse manure!)
2) We don’t want to encourage copy cats (more horse manure.)
3) The school and some parents don’t want it released. (Even if true – Did the FBI encourage this attitude? – their desires should not trump the 1st Amendment Right of a Free Press or the Right of the People to know the truth about this killer.)
I will switch animals and declare it all to be “Bovine Waste Product”. I believe that the American Left is censoring this manifesto because of it’s damaging content. Damaging to their diseased ideology, that is!
“In God we Trust.”
Or as police should think of it:
“in God we Trust. Everyone else gets shot as soon as I can’t see their hands”.
Resident idiot department:
I got a phone survey about radio ads. Since I live with the radio on (I watched it all on my radio) I was happy to oblige.
The conversation went something like this:
“Do you like this ad” :::: play the ad :::
Moi: “Oh yes that’s funny (a lot of uk ads are, americans add seem amusingly earnest).
“Do you buy the product?”
Moi: “What’s it for?”
“Ok what about this one?” :::: plays ad ::::
“Oh yes, I look forward to that one, like the music”.
“Do you buy the product?”
Moi: “What’s if for”.
At the end of the survey I couldn’t name a single product!
Some poor advertising hack may have needed talking off a window ledge when he realised he’d wasted his life.
nicholas kane,
Long ago I heard a story about someone showing a Native American a coin with the phrase, “In God We Trust,” on it. He took it to mean the coin, the money, was the “god” in whom we trust. Pretty clever.
@ nicholas kane – “Oh yes that’s funny (a lot of UK ads are, American ads seem amusingly earnest).”
That is true. Many are too serious. Some that try to be funny end up being just silly or, even, annoyingly stupid. However, on rare occasions, an American ad will be simply hilarious. Here is a case in point (follow this YouTube link):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BD5ha9mENzw
Today in The Federalist a story on a Pew Research on going study on gun ownership.
https://thefederalist.com/2023/08/29/despite-democrats-fearmongering-on-firearms-a-majority-of-americans-own-guns-or-want-to-own-guns/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=despite-democrats-fearmongering-on-firearms-a-majority-of-americans-own-guns-or-want-to-own-guns&utm_term=2023-08-30
On a side note, Mas, what is with the picture of the “Bag ‘O Glocks” at the top of the page of this blog?
What is that? The overnight travel bag of the “Evil Princess”? I know that you have said that she is a Glock fan! 🙂
“It is probable a majority of voters are also gun owners.”
Given that a majority of voters continue to elect pro-gun representatives who not only refuse to pass “common sense” gun-control laws, but who have also expanded shall-issue carry to 42 states and no-license carry to 27 states, I’d say it’s a lot more than “probable.”
Along the same lines of political surveys. When the Democratic party calls to ask for my vote. I say, absolutely I will vote for your candidate. However, I always vote Republican… I just say that to skew the poles.
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