(Photo Source: Paul Markel)

A recent news report cites a survey that apparently indicates American gun ownership at a 40 year low. Can this be true? What sources were referenced? We will dive into this report and study to see what we can uncover.

Finally, during our Quiet Time moment from SilencerShop.com, Paul and Jarrad consider the tendency of Americans to panic buy. We offer some tips to help you avoid this phenomenon.

Brought to you by Silencer Shop!

Topics Covered During This Episode:

• FontanaSports promo code: Go to >>> www.fontanasports.com/sotg for 10% off everything.
• Last week note: Western Va not West Va
• American gun ownership drops to lowest in nearly 40 years
• NEW STUDY: Over 12.8 Million Concealed Handgun Permits, Last Year Saw by Far the Largest Increase Ever in the Number of Permits
• FBI gun background checks headed for another record year
• Quiet Time brought to you by SilencerShop.com: Avoid Panic Buying

Please visit www.SilencerShop.com and take a look at what they have in stock!

Get Your Student of the Gun Tattoo Here: www.lauerweaponry.com

From www.washingtonpost.com:

The percent of American households owning guns is at a near-40 year low in the latest CBS News poll released this month.

According to the survey, which was conducted among 1,001 Americans in the aftermath of the Orlando nightclub shooting, 36 percent of U.S. adults either own a firearm personally, or live with someone who does. That’s the lowest rate of gun ownership in the CBS poll going back to 1978. It’s down 17 points from the highest recorded rate in 1994, and nearly 10 percentage points from 2012.

Different national polls tend to show slightly different rates of gun ownership. The latest household gun ownership rate in the General Social Survey, in 2014, was 32 percent. The October 2015 Gallup survey showed a higher rate of 43 percent, including guns kept on property outside the home.

But the downward trend in gun ownership remains consistent across the national polls. According to Gallup, gun ownership has fallen by about 10 percentage points since its peak in 1993. The General Social Survey shows a 20-point drop since the mid-1970s.

But gun purchases, as measured by FBI firearm background checks, are at historic highs. And data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms shows that gun manufacturers are churning out record numbers of guns. Many gun rights advocates argue that these figures mean that the overall number of gun owners is growing: If more guns are being sold, more people must be owning guns.

But the declining rates of gun ownership across three major national surveys suggest a different explanation: that most of the rise in gun purchases is driven by existing gun owners stocking up, rather than by people buying their first gun. A Washington Post analysis last year found that the average American gun owner now owns approximately eight firearms, double the number in the 1990s.

Other research bears this out as well. A 2004 survey found that the average gun owner owned 6.6 firearms, and that the top 3 percent of gun owners owned about 25 guns each. More recently, a CBS News poll taken in March of this year found that roughly 1 in 5 gun owners owned 10 guns or more.

Gun owners remain a potent political force in the U.S., due largely to the successful efforts of advocacy groups like the NRA. But survey data showing declining gun ownership suggests that the NRA has been successful largely by channeling the energy and intensity of an existing gun-owning base, rather than by broadening that base and bringing more supporters into the fold. If declines in ownership continue, the group could have a hard time replicating recent successes in the coming decades.

From crimeresearch.org:

Since President Obama’s election the number of concealed handgun permits has soared, growing from 4.6 million in 2007 to over 12.8 million this year. Among the findings in our report:

• The number of concealed handgun permits is increasing at an ever- increasing rate. Over the past year, 1.7 million additional new permits have been issued – a 15.4% increase in just one single year. This is the largest ever single-year increase in the number of concealed handgun permits.
• 5.2% of the total adult population has a permit.
• Five states now have more than 10% of their adult population withconcealed handgun permits.
• In ten states, a permit is no longer required to carry in all or virtually all ofthe state. This is a major reason why legal carrying handguns is growing somuch faster than the number of permits.
• Since 2007, permits for women has increased by 270% and for men by 156%. Over that period, there was a 178% increase in total permits.
• Some evidence suggests that permit holding by minorities is increasing more than twice as fast as for whites.

UPDATE:
Arizona — 239,259 July 5, 2015 to 251,333 January 17, 2016 (gender, race and county breakdown)

California — the state had 59,808 permits on December 31, 2015, about 0.2% of the adult population. While nine smaller counties have between 2.5 and 4.5 permits per 100 people, the large counties have thousandths of one percent. More data on permits is available here.

Colorado — 165,528 December 31, 2014 to 196,329 December 31, 2015. During 2016 there has been an increase in permits issued. January through May 2016 saw 31,901 permits issued compared to the same period the previous year.

Delaware — “surge” in concealed handgun permits in Delaware

District of Columbia — there were 44 approved permits out of 206 applicants as of September 8, 2015.

Florida — 1.415 million June 30, 2015 to 1.465 million Octobern 2015 to 1.474 million November 2015 to 1,488,028 December 2015 (Florida by county on December 31, 2015, Florida by gender) May 31, 2016 gender/age

Illinois — 103,000 March 2015 to 119,337 June 6, 2015 to 143,386 December 31, 2015 (Richard Pearson, ISRA)

Indiana — 595,361 June 30, 2015 to 630,000 in January 2016 (other data here)

Iowa — 220,000 December 2014 to 250,000 December 2015, to 254,000 in January 2016.

Kansas — 94,093 March 2015 to 100,000 in May 2015

Kentucky — given five year permits it appears as if going from December 31, 2013 to December 31, 2014 increased the number of permits by about 23,000

Louisiana — End of 2015 report Gender, race

Michigan — 500,943 June 30, 2015 to 516,612 February 1, 2016, 539,036 March 24, 2016 (7.35% of adult population with guns) (The three most populous counties in order 96,101 permits in Wayne County (population 1.79m); 67,241 in Oakland County (1.22m), and 48,795 in Macomb County(0.847m)) June 1, 2016

Minnesota — 194,905 April 30, 2015 to 200,000 August 22, 2015, 19 percent of permit holders are women) to 210,647 November 30, 2015
West Virginia — 126,514 December 2013 to 147,801 Dec. 31, 2014

Montana — some new county numbers are available here.

Nebraska — 37,045 March 8, 2015 to 42,000 December 2015

New Mexico — 40,794 December 31, 2014 to 61,000 December 31, 2015

North Carolina — 484,630 June 10, 2015 to 478,334 in December 2015 (36,667 were for women)

North Dakota — 40,888 in December 31, 2013 to 40,872 December 31, 2015

Oklahoma — 217,724 March 2, 2015 to 238,300 January 23, 2016

South Carolina — 253,339 February 10, 2015 to 276,084 December 31, 2015

South Dakota — 81,222 in March 19, 2015 to 85,273 on December 31, 2015

Tennessee — 504,384 June 10, 2015 to 529,661 in January 4, 2016 (data over time for Tennessee is available here) 543,851 on March 2, 2016. 560,933 on June 1, 2016. More info here.

Texas — as of October, 2015, Texas had 922,197 active permits (see also WSJ), up from 841,500 in the spring. As of December 31, 2015 there were 937,419 active permits. As of April 30th they had 1,017,618 permit holders, about 5.3% of the adult population.

Utah — 603,144 Total Valid Permits as of March 31, 2015, 202,637 Permit Holders are Utah residents to 623,969 Total Valid Permits as of September 30, 2015, 208,640 Permit Holders are Utah residents. 632,276 total valid permits and 212,349 Utah residents on December 31, 2015

Virginia — 387,054 on March 16, 2015, 420,000 December 2015

Wisconsin — 253,116 May 2015 to just under 285,000 in January 2016, 300,000 on March 24, 2016.

Total in report 12,802,740, updated with just these 15 states the total is now 13,328,665. For many of these states this is just the change over 6 months.

Concealed handgun permits also affect the numbers that we have seen on NICS background checks in three ways: 1) the increasing number of permits being issued, 2) some states regularly recheck the concealed handgun permits using background checks (e.g., Kentucky does a background check on all permit holders every month to check to see if they have gotten into any problems), and 3) in some states you can sell a gun to someone with a concealed carry permit without doing a background check.

From money.cnn.com:

Americans are buying guns in record numbers. And if history is any guide, Sunday’s mass shooting in Orlando will spur even more firearm sales.

According to FBI data, 2016 is on pace to set the record for the most firearm background checks in a year.

The FBI conducts a check for every gun purchase made through a federally licensed dealer, so background checks are considered a close proxy for gun sales. Not all guns are sold by federally licensed dealers, and a single background check can represent the purchase of multiple guns.

About 23.1 million checks were conducted in 2015 — the highest ever recorded since the current system for background checks was started in 1998. This year, 11.7 million checks have been conducted through May 31, compared to 8.9 million over the same period last year.

The purpose of the checks is to screen potential buyers for felony convictions, mental illness, history of domestic violence and drug abuse.

In recent years, news of mass shootings have often led to a spike in gun sales, as fears about personal safety grow and some gun buyers worry that regulatory crackdowns would make it harder to purchase weapons.

Not surprisingly, business is good for the largest gun manufacturers.

Smith & Wesson (SWHC) reported in March that the company’s quarterly net sales rose 61.5% compared to the same period last year. And analysts expect annual sales at Smith & Wesson and Sturm Ruger (RGR) to grow by about 30% each this year compared to 2015.

In the wake of more frequent and more deadly mass shootings, President Obama has announced executive actions aimed at tamping down gun access.

Several states have also passed measures to bolster background checks or ban assault weapons or high-capacity magazines.

Few details were immediately known Sunday about the weapons used by the Orlando gunman, Omar Mateen of Ft. Pierce, Florida. Mateen legally purchased a handgun and a long gun within the last few days, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Trevor Velinor said. “He is not a prohibited person,” he added.

Mateen, 29, killed 49 people and injured dozens more. Officials say he pledged loyalty to ISIS shortly after the shooting.

It was the worst terror attack in the United Since since 9/11 and the deadliest mass shooting in the country’s history. An earlier death toll of 50, released by officials, had included the gunman.

Florida does not ban assault weapons or high-capacity magazines.