Another Way Gun Ownership Rates Are Underestimated in Surveys

I have written previously about how survey research underestimates the rate of gun ownership in the United States.

The main sources of “false negatives” (people who own guns but tell survey researchers they do not) are (1) people who don’t want outsiders to know they have guns, (2) people who want to avoid the stigma of gun ownership, and (3) people who cannot legally own firearms but do anyway.

Listening to my Sociology of Guns seminar students this semester has highlighted another group of non-gun owning gun owners. Of 16 total students in my class, 3 mentioned that their otherwise non-gun owning parents actually had guns in their homes.

Photo of family heirloom firearms from Sociology of Guns student

Student Range Visit Reflection #11: I Am Still Struggling to Come to Terms with Enjoying My Experience

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the eleventh and final student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here, the sixth here, the seventh here, the eighth here, the ninth here, and the tenth here.)

Sociology of Guns student at range. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Student Range Visit Reflection #10: I Have Always Viewed Gun Ownership as a Normal Part of Life

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the tenth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here, the sixth here, the seventh here, the eighth here, and the ninth here.)

Sociology of Guns student visiting range. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Student Range Visit Reflection #9: I Was Surprised By How Much I Enjoyed the Feeling

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the ninth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here, the sixth here, the seventh here, and the eighth here.)

Like so many students, this one does a great job of grappling honestly with her thoughts and feelings. That’s all I ask in this assignment.

Sociology of Guns student at the range. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Student Range Visit Reflection #8: Under No Circumstances Should a Gun Be in the Hands of a Typical Citizen

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the eighth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here, the sixth here, and the seventh here.)

Sociology of Guns student at range. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Differences Between New and Long-Standing US Gun Owners by Wertz, et al.

The great gun buying spree(s) of 2020 have raised the issue of NEW GUN OWNERS. We have no reliable data on how many of those millions of NICS checks being run this year are for people who are buying a gun for the first time. Anecdotal evidence suggests a short answer of A LOT.

But it is also the case that even in a “normal” year, there are about 1 million new gun owners. This is one of the many interesting conclusions from a study published in the American Journal of Public Health in 2018 which my Sociology of Guns students are reading this week.

Student Range Visit Reflection #7: The Power I Felt Behind the Gun Was Unsettling

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the seventh student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, the fifth here, and the sixth here.)

I give this student a lot of credit because she overcame a tremendous fear of guns and shot two pistols and a rifle during our range trip.

Sociology of Guns student at range visit. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Student Range Visit Reflection #6: I Found the Competitive Nature of the Shooting Very Appealing

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the sixth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, the fourth here, and the fifth here.)

This student is from England.

Sociology of Guns student at range visit. Photo by Robin Lindner/RLI Media

Student Range Visit Reflection #5: I Learned That I Was Capable of Safely Handling a Weapon

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the fifth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, the third here, and the fourth here.)

Sociology of Guns student range visit. Photo by Sandra Stroud Yamane

Student Range Visit Reflection #4: Becoming More Comfortable Around Firearms

Students in my Sociology of Guns Seminar are required to visit a gun range with their classmates early in the semester and to write a reflection essay based on the experience (see the assignment).

Below is the fourth student reflection essay for Fall 2020. (Find the first here, the second here, and the third here.)

Sociology of Guns student range trip. Photo by Sandra Stroud Yamane