When It Comes to Guns, We're No. 1

[kari21]

When It Comes to Guns, We're No. 1

By Laura MacInnis,Reuters

Posted: 2007-08-28 21:40:55

Filed Under: World News

GENEVA (Aug. 28) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.

Five years ago, the Small Arms Survey had estimated there were a total of just 640 million firearms globally.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we previously believed," Krause said, attributing the increase largely to better research and more data on weapon distribution networks.

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.

***********

USA! USA! USA!

Praise God and pass the ammunition...

[kat8585]

I have no problem with this.

[kari21]

If the Muslims invaded, they would have a gun pointed at their heads from around every corner!

...and God help 'em if they started the invasion down south. Those good ol' boys (and gals) would have a stuffed Taliban head mounted in every honky tonk in Dixie.

[Leonard]

I still haven't fired that little .380 auto I bought a couple of weeks back!

[Hunterpoet]

When It Comes to Guns, We're No. 1

By Laura MacInnis,Reuters

Posted: 2007-08-28 21:40:55

Filed Under: World News

GENEVA (Aug. 28) - The United States has 90 guns for every 100 citizens, making it the most heavily armed society in the world, a report released on Tuesday said.

U.S. citizens own 270 million of the world's 875 million known firearms, according to the Small Arms Survey 2007 by the Geneva-based Graduate Institute of International Studies.

About 4.5 million of the 8 million new guns manufactured worldwide each year are purchased in the United States, it said.

"There is roughly one firearm for every seven people worldwide. Without the United States, though, this drops to about one firearm per 10 people," it said.

India had the world's second-largest civilian gun arsenal, with an estimated 46 million firearms outside law enforcement and the military, though this represented just four guns per 100 people there. China, ranked third with 40 million privately held guns, had 3 firearms per 100 people.

Germany, France, Pakistan, Mexico, Brazil and Russia were next in the ranking of country's overall civilian gun arsenals.

On a per-capita basis, Yemen had the second most heavily armed citizenry behind the United States, with 61 guns per 100 people, followed by Finland with 56, Switzerland with 46, Iraq with 39 and Serbia with 38.

France, Canada, Sweden, Austria and Germany were next, each with about 30 guns per 100 people, while many poorer countries often associated with violence ranked much lower. Nigeria, for instance, had just one gun per 100 people.

"Firearms are very unevenly distributed around the world. The image we have of certain regions such as Africa or Latin America being awash with weapons -- these images are certainly misleading," Small Arms Survey director Keith Krause said.

"Weapons ownership may be correlated with rising levels of wealth, and that means we need to think about future demand in parts of the world where economic growth is giving people larger disposable income," he told a Geneva news conference.

The report, which relied on government data, surveys and media reports to estimate the size of world arsenals, estimated there were 650 million civilian firearms worldwide, and 225 million held by law enforcement and military forces.

Five years ago, the Small Arms Survey had estimated there were a total of just 640 million firearms globally.

"Civilian holdings of weapons worldwide are much larger than we previously believed," Krause said, attributing the increase largely to better research and more data on weapon distribution networks.

Only about 12 percent of civilian weapons are thought to be registered with authorities.

***********

USA! USA! USA!

Praise God and pass the ammunition...

I'm very pleased to learn that civilian wedapons outnumnber that of government and the military. Don't get me wrong folks, I'm not in favor of gun weilding idiots and I deplore violent crime, but it's my guess that an educated gun owner would make more than the taliban think twice before trying to pull off a coup. This could possibly explain why the democrats are always trying to take our weapons away.

If the anti-gun folks wish to fear something, fear the honey tongued politician who would tell whatever lie you wanted to hear, for the oppourtunity to RULE over you.

Money corrupts thoroughly............but power thoroughly corrupts.

[forrestkc]

I'm very pleased to learn that civilian wedapons outnumnber that of government and the military. Don't get me wrong folks, I'm not in favor of gun weilding idiots and I deplore violent crime, but it's my guess that an educated gun owner would make more than the taliban think twice before trying to pull off a coup. This could possibly explain why the democrats are always trying to take our weapons away.

If the anti-gun folks wish to fear something, fear the honey tongued politician who would tell whatever lie you wanted to hear, for the oppourtunity to RULE over you.

Money corrupts thoroughly............but power thoroughly corrupts.

When have Democrats ever tried to take your guns away? The only restriction that I can remember Democrats ever pushing was the assault weapons ban.

[JustinM]

Gun control is very effective. Only 12% of all firearms are thought to be registered. So it may be more or less, but no one knows for sure.

Gun control laws just take guns from the hands of honest, law abiding people. They do nothing to keep firearms out of the hands of criminals.

Go figure.

I think it should encourage Americans and discourage our enemies. I'd stay away from the gun free zones, since they are the most vulnerable places in our society. I think all logical people can agree on that.

[kat8585]

When have Democrats ever tried to take your guns away? The only restriction that I can remember Democrats ever pushing was the assault weapons ban.

They've always been the party of "gun control".

[Eliyahuw]

If the Muslims invaded, they would have a gun pointed at their heads from around every corner!

...and God help 'em if they started the invasion down south. Those good ol' boys (and gals) would have a stuffed Taliban head mounted in every honky tonk in Dixie.

OHhhh, where do i get my taliban tags?? got a spot right next to my 10 point buck!!!!!!

[Eliyahuw]

I'm very pleased to learn that civilian wedapons outnumnber that of government and the military. Don't get me wrong folks, I'm not in favor of gun weilding idiots and I deplore violent crime, but it's my guess that an educated gun owner would make more than the taliban think twice before trying to pull off a coup. This could possibly explain why the democrats are always trying to take our weapons away.

If the anti-gun folks wish to fear something, fear the honey tongued politician who would tell whatever lie you wanted to hear, for the oppourtunity to RULE over you.

Money corrupts thoroughly............but power thoroughly corrupts.

When have Democrats ever tried to take your guns away? The only restriction that I can remember Democrats ever pushing was the assault weapons ban.

EVERY SINGLE ELECTION, Every single year, they have tried passing legislation to ban firearms, take firerms away, restrict my right to firearms, or remove them all together! IF it weren't for the Republicans, and the NRA, we would be criminals by now cause they would have to kill me to take my weapons.