Gun rights activists hold signs during a Second Amendment rally on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, in Albany, N.Y.
USA Today
The Pew Research Center's latest survey on gun control this week provided a familiar profile of the typical gun owner in the United States: adult, white and male. That profile differs greatly from the makeup of the country, according to Pew. White men represent just a third of the U.S. population, but about 60 percent of adults with guns in America today are white men.
This is where we get those carefully worded responses that Kurt likes so much. Gun-rights supporters, in an attempt to give legitimacy to their fanatical obsession, often say, "we're seeing more women," or "we're seeing more minorities."
Some people go further.
And despite Pew's findings, gun groups today say that the demographics of gun owners are finally starting to change. Dudley Brown, the executive director of both the National Association for Gun Rights and the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, a local gun rights group, says he has recently seen an uptick in membership among Hispanic communities and among women. In concealed-carry classes hosted by the Rocky Mountain Gun Owners, he says the male-female split has become 50-50.
Now that's the spirit. Claim there's now a 50-50 gender balance. That means with all the blacks and Hispanics, white males are actually in the minority.
What's your opinion? Why do you think gun-rights folks are trying so hard to obscure the fact that it's still a man's world, as depicted in the photo above?
Please leave a comment.
Ah, yes, because nation wide, 60 percent are white male, obviously the local concealed carry class is lying about having 50-50 groups by gender.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, you can't stand the idea that there are people other than white men who own guns.
As for us, we're happy to see others taking part.
Why are you so invested in accusing us of all being old fat white men? Does our whiteness somehow make our hobbies less valid?
Or are you so seriously invested in racialism that you think that only white's like guns?
I'm not "so invested" in it.
DeleteThe number of posts in which you try to prove that we're all fat, old, white men indicates otherwise.
DeleteThen answer his question, Mikeb.
DeleteThere was no question.
DeleteAnd you, Mikeb, label the sentences that end in a question mark as what, exactly?
DeleteGosh, I guess I need to go back to grade school to figure out how to ask a question, and which punctuation point signifies asking one.
Delete1. I see a few overweight persons, but a whole lot who aren't.
ReplyDelete2. The picture cuts off people to the left and the right.
3. We've shown you before how the numbers of women and minorities owning guns are on the rise.
4. The question remains, why are you obsessed with race?
I'm not "obsessed with race."
DeleteMike, can you explain what your beef is with white males excercising their rights? And you seem to have this stereotype about white guys being fat. Not seeing how that's relevant.
ReplyDeleteWhile I dont have any data to support it, it is possible that that gun ownership might follow percentages of the demographic groups in the military. I cant say I've given it much thought since whether someone decides to excercise their rights is their business and not mine.
While I am currently introducing my children to shooting, most of my training has involved training large groups to shoot.
As for your man's world in shooting sports contention, that is a very old paradigm that seems to hang on through conditioning. While no one ever seems suprised that men will decide to learn to shoot for protection of self or family, or other reasons, you still hear the concern that a woman will hurt themselves or some other BS if they decide to do the same thing.
I really dont care what the gender/race/age/ body composition/sexual orientation is of those who choose. I just encourage everyone.
I don't have a beef with it, nor am I "invested" in it or "obsessed." I'm responding to all the misleading reports that come from you guys about women and minorities. I'm not starting the discussion, I'm responding to something from your side. So, who's obsessed, invested and beefin'? Maybe it's you guys.
DeleteThose reports of ours are made in answer to accusations that we're all fat old white men. We tell you that we're not such, and that women and minorities are increasingly taking part.
DeleteYou then either accuse us of lying, or you say that our reports are "technically" true, but that it's misleading to say that women and minorities are increasingly becoming gun owners since they are not yet 50% of the shooting community.
Anything you can say to try to discredit us in your mind.
You've been shown the support for our claim, Mikeb. But something within you is determined to believe that only white males have an interest in guns. Why do you care so much?
DeleteGreg, why do you say that I "believe that only white males have an interest in guns?"
DeleteI've posted Colion on this blog. I've discussed women gun owners.
Oh, wait, Mikeb, really? So you've posted one black guy and articles about women--where you kept insisting that those were lies or misunderstandings of the data--and that shows that you don't believe all your comments about fat white men and guns? See, that might work, except for the fact that whenever my side shows you that women and minorities are taking up guns and gun rights, you scoff and deny the validity of those reports.
DeleteFace it, you have an obsession about race. What's the origin of that?
Wait, isn't your whole point with Colion that you think he's a token black because all the gun nuts are white, and that he's trying to con people into believing that there are more blacks into guns than there really are?
DeleteI don't think I ever used the word token in reference to Colion. (Kurt and Greg will be busy for at least an hour or two trying to find an example). I think he represents a tiny minority of gun owners, like female shooters do.
DeleteKurt and Greg will be busy for at least an hour or two trying to find an example
DeleteYou should really find a new way to entertain yourself. Your current hobby of predicting my actions just isn't going well for you--you're simply not at all good at it. Amusing for me, however, so do as you see fit.
I think he represents a tiny minority of gun owners, like female shooters do.
DeleteWithout conceding that unproven point, let's hypothetically accept it for a nanosecond. So what? Do the interests of a "tiny minority" not deserve representation? Are rights to be honored or trampled based simply on their popularity?
I would argue that the the only rights that need protection are those of the minority, as the rights of the majority are unlikely to be voted out of existence.
To quote a woman whom Mikeb probably wishes would have shut up and stayed in the kitchen:
The smallest minority on earth is the individual. Those who deny individual rights cannot claim to be defenders of minorities.
And you said you were just a middle-of-the-road Libertarian. Quoting Mother like that says otherwise.
DeleteDo you recall the discussion that Dog Gone and I had about the literary merits of Ayn Rand? She defended Rand. That makes her a Libertarian, in your view?
DeleteAnd you said you were just a middle-of-the-road Libertarian. Quoting Mother like that says otherwise.
DeleteActually, she was not my mother, and indeed I am unable to claim any genetic link to her at all. As for your contention that my quoting Ayn Rand sheds doubt on my claim of being a fairly moderate libertarian, I'm puzzled. I think of Rand quotes as being somewhat entry level into libertarian circles.
I'm very much a "bubble-gummer" compared to Kent McManigal, Mama Liberty, Billy Beck, and many others.
Perhaps with age and wisdom, I'll advance to their level, but I'm a long way from it at the moment.
Are you guys fat white men?
ReplyDeleteWell I am old, does that count?
DeleteTexas,
DeleteSorry, but you're mistaken about your race. You are really white--otherwise Mike's mind would break.
Ha, his mind is already broken. I am just curious as to just how badly its broken.
DeleteI still contend he is secretly pro gun (like the precious little things post) and the rest of his anti gun position here is nothing more than a badly designed straw man. That way he can get an outlet for the outlandish and ridiculous views of the ENs and like out there, thus further supporting our position.
Let's see--if 60% of adults who own guns is an "overwhelming" percentage, that would mean 40% is a very small percentage (I decided that "overwhelmingly small" would be an odd way to word it).
ReplyDeleteBut . . . but when you crow about the supposed "40% of guns sold without a background check" (a figure so wildly inflated that even the Washington Post "awards" Obama with "three Pinocchios" (out of a maximum of four) for the brazen mendacity of the claim), you make 40% sound like an unforgivably high figure.
Hmm . . .
And remember that less than one tenth of a group equals half and is also much higher than our side acknowledges.
DeleteOh--and what's with your obsession with, and investment in, race?
ReplyDeleteMore figures that don't mesh with Mike's world view:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.cdc.gov/features/dsobesityadults/index.html
Actually, I never said whites suffer from obesity more than blacks or Hispanics.
DeleteWhy do you guys keep inventing things to argue against? Isn't what I actually do say bad enough for you?
Mikeb, have you accused gun owners of being overwhelmingly fat and white? That's what we've been talking about.
DeleteI thought lefties believed that "profiling" was A Bad Thing.
ReplyDeleteApparently, I was wrong.