The numbers I see that seem pretty much right are:

• About 25% of Americans have guns.
• 3% of Americans own more than half the guns.

The gun nuts are a small but vocal group who have nothing else on their mind 24 hours a day, every day. The rest of us have pretty much ignored them. The issue has gone septic because the politicians see the gun crowd as a source of funding.

Pretty much nails it.

By Michal Addady - September 19, 2016

Gun “super-owners” are on the rise in America.

For only 242 million adults living in the U.S., there are about 265 million guns, according to a recent Harvard and Northeastern University study obtained by the Guardian. That comes out to be more than one gun for every adult.

Half of those guns belong to just 3% of the adult population. These super-owners have anywhere between eight and 140 guns each, with the group average being 17, according to the study.

Overall, there are an estimated 55 million gun owners in the U.S.: Most have an average of three guns; half own one or two guns; and the number of guns owned by Americans has gone up by 70 million over that same time period.

Meanwhile the number of Americans who own guns has decreased from 25% to 22% since 1994. And the study also found that there has been a dramatic increase in gun theft, nearly doubling from 230,000 per year to 400,000 per year.

Though some people may be nervous how this study will be used politically, lead author Dr. Deborah Azrael is strictly looking at this from a public health perspective. Rather than focusing on the super-owners, she’s more concerned with the gun owners who have just one or two firearms.

There are 30,000 gun deaths each year in the U.S., according to the study, two-thirds of which are suicides. Azrael told the Guardian, “To change their behavior with respect to guns, and the ways in which they store them, or their decision-making—we could have a really big impact on suicide.”

I have a 22 handgun that I bought when I was 18. It would probably take me ten minutes to even find it in the bowels of the closet. I think the last time I shot it was about 30 years ago. I do have friends that have guns and most also believe in sensible gun control.

We are 4% or the worlds population and own almost 50% of the privately owned guns. We have almost 1 gun for every person in the country.

I own 2 shotguns and 2 rifles. None of them are semi auto or have clips larger than 3 rounds. They are all I need for small and large game along with some bird hunting. I am for far more strict background checks to get guns. Age limits, waiting times, etc should all be in the table. We also have to have a system in place to retain your guns not just get them. I won 3 of my guns in raffles and it's insane that they did not have to be registered in my name. The other insane thing is that the gun registry itself is not computerized. It's on FN paper!!!! Just a couple of the issues I see, there are many many more that need to be addressed!!

I think you might discover that guns, like the money in America, are distributed unevenly across this nation. Most gun enthusiasts (that is, tnose who are willing to be outed) own more than one gun, sometime several dozen. Most households, however, own zero guns. What does that tell you?

I've never owned a gun, but I did allow my son to buy/bring one into my home after he turned 21 once he met my criteria.

I think, if I lived there, I might own a gun - I was quite interested in target shooting with air rifles when I was younger, so the temptation to go down to the firing range and practice markmanship would be great. I wouldn't carry it in public however, and would make sure it was kept in a safe and secure location.

I don't own /know how to use a gun....but I understand and support the right to own a gun for personal protection....specially when the person lives far away from civilization.

I do not own a gun, and do not plan on it. Statistics show that if you have a gun in the house, chances are it will be your own family that gets hurt.

I own a hand gun and a shotgun. The hand gun is loaded they are both locked away. I also support gun control and a ban on assault rifles. P.S. I am aware that AR-15 is not an assult rifle.

I think there is a correlations between religion and gun ownership. Most religious persons are basically afraid, as are many gun owners. And,,people who are afraid think they can protect themselve3s with guns. If you ask gun owners why they have a gun, the most common answer is "for protection".

In reality, if there is a gun in our home, everyone in your home is three times more likely to die from a gun (those are U.S. statistics only). More guns actually endanger people, not make them safer. However, fearful people do not tend to think rationally. In this case what seems like the common sense solution to beign afraid, to get a gun, is contrary to actual expected results. Few peopel look at actual statistics though.

I own several rifles and shotguns. All the rifles are bolt action, and used for deer and elk hunting. The shotguns are for duck and grouse hunting. Also have a couple of black powder rifles that have used in special seasons for deer and elk. (They are muzzle loading, one shot a time, with time between shots to reload). Back in the day, the militia had single shot rifles. They are all locked in a gun safe. Have had a lot of grand kids around, and wouldn't want them to have access.

As a person who has been around a LOT of street violence in the US, knives are the culprit of most violent and deadly encounters. I've been stabbed a few times, attempted to be stabbed at a whole lot of times, but only shot at twice....and the two times were weird drive by things...in the 90's, occasionally someone would threaten you by showing you they had a pistol in their pants (pun totally intended), but I would just say,"So, you want me to shoot you in the crotch?" And ignore them. Which usually just wound up in some angry words and the end of the confrontation. But by the end of the 90's, fists and fury and blades and improvised weapons (OH MY!) were the common street scuffle. I would say that school shootings are about attention, not guns. Take away guns, you are gonna see bombs.

I sold my shotgun and rifle but and now own a .357 pistol. I grew up in very rural area and hunted from the time I was a kid as is the case with many gun owners. I have never felt the need to own a gun for home safety, I have a baseball bat for that.

I live in the woods of Maine. You need at least three guns here. A shotgun, a rifle and a sidearm. I have multiples of each. They are important tools in the wild as we have bears, mountain lions, wolves, coyotes, coydogs, moose, and crazy people. I'm also one of less than 50,000 accredited gunsmiths in the country.

I own a shotgun and a rifle, but have not fired either in over 30 years. I am for completely banning of assault weapons, all automatic and semi-automatic weapons, and pistols.

Actually, it's 25% of American households with guns. The more regulated guns become, the more expensive they are, and thus less affordable for the majority of folks. Britain began regulating gun ownership in 1903. Now, gun ownership there has become a luxury of the rich. The US began regulating guns in 1934. And gun ownership amongst poor and working class people has shrunk, while the wealthy have been hoarding guns. Your figures are about forty years out of date. Keep in mind, as of about 1975, 50% of American homes had an average of three firearms each. Nowadays, its 25% with an average of six firearms.If, as Mao stated,"Political power grows out the barrel of a gun", then 'gun control' means stripping the majority of people their political power. Not a smart thing to do. Especially in the Age of Trumplerism!

[ruthlessreviews.com] The ABC's of Gun Culture (In America)

I do not expect to ever need a gun.

I think the sheer amount some people own just for themselves means on average probably means there are enough guns at hand to arm so many more than even 80%

I do not and will never own a gun! Very few people I know own guns. I think the larger number is highly inflated and would go with the 42% number. Some areas may have higher gun ownership but I think the more 'liberal' areas have fewer guns.

Where did you get that number? I've never heard a number that high.

[washingtonpost.com]