Gun Ownership Poll Accuracy - Page 3

745SW · April 20, 2013, 04:32 PM

I too will refuse to answer virtually any poll about firearms.

Not even my neighbors know I’m a gun person and I do my best to keep it that way largely for reasons already mentioned. All the loaded tacticool long gun cases don’t make any sense to me considering I need to cover it with a trash bag, blanket and use cardboard anyway.

In the distant past I like many others were looking forward to show familiars my guns but not anymore. Overall it hasn’t proven to be productive in anyway and it’s not the way to get a non-interested person interested. Some folks should not own or operate guns because they are not willing to put anywhere near the effort and/or have the interest to be responsible.

Brian Pfleuger · April 20, 2013, 05:02 PM

Some of the worst possible things we as gun owners could be doing is refuse to answer polls, act like we're ashamed of owning guns and hide it from every one around us.

"Owning and shooting guns is perfectly normal!", says I.

"Then why do you hide it like you're dealing Crack?", says Me

"...uh..."

Normal people doing normal things don't (shouldn't) hide from other people. How do we expect others to accept it as normal if we stigmatize it ourselves?

MLeake · April 20, 2013, 05:13 PM

How do we know a pollster is legit, and not a would-be burglar?

larryh1108 · April 20, 2013, 06:31 PM

Exactly,

I don't put NRA stickers on my car or house not because I'm ashamed but because I don't want to be a target for thieves. I don't have the protected by Smith and Wesson or any gun related logos for the same reasons. Guns are very much in demand by thieves and if they know your house has some they'll lay in wait for you to leave and try to get them. They are more valuable than electronics and Rx. I'm not ashamed one bit to be a gun owner but I don't advertise it either. I'm not bothered one bit if Suzy Homemaker knows I have guns and she is aghast but I surely don't want her strung out son and his buddies to know I have them. Keeping them secure means more than locking them up. It means it's a need to know basis and they don't need to know.

Brian Pfleuger · April 20, 2013, 07:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MLeake

How do we know a pollster is legit, and not a would-be burglar?

1) Sometimes, the odds of something make it just not worth considering. Plus, is this would be burglar saying to himself "Hey, let's go rob the guy who DOES have guns!" or "Let's rob the guy who DOESN'T have guns!"? Either one, is an assumption on our part and either one might put you in danger, though I'd put it on roughly the same odds as a meteor strike.

2) Not answering polls is only one small issue. Most of us will never be polled anyway. Acting like owning and enjoying firearms is something we should be ashamed of, is completely different.

scrubcedar · April 20, 2013, 09:38 PM

I wonder whether the tipping point in our wanting to be close mouthed about our guns has mostly came from increased worries about robbery or government seizure?

BuckRub · April 20, 2013, 11:27 PM

I don't answer any polls.

22-rimfire · April 21, 2013, 07:55 AM

Quote:

I wonder whether the tipping point in our wanting to be close mouthed about our guns has mostly came from increased worries about robbery or government seizure?

Ya think? All you have to do is compare to smoking and using tobacco products.... First taxation. Age restrictions. A growing public health issue (CDC). Then stigmization. Restrictions on use, even in open air. More recently... more taxes (double) to be placed on a minority (per the Presidents budget proposal). And people accept this as a reasonable thing for the government to do (reasonable restrictions).... It's about FREEDOM. Some will say... oh, it's a dirty harmful practice.... well, they could say exactly the same things with firearms.

vito · April 21, 2013, 08:42 AM

Consider something: you don't always know who is really running a poll, and what data will be maintained. It could be a local newspaper, who will then publish your name and address as a gun owner. It could be a law enforcement agency just trying to get a good idea of who to keep an eye on. It could be any number of individuals or groups, none of which are necessarily acting in your best interests. Let the poll ask: do you support the Constitution of the United States? That one I will answer. And as to guns, maybe you would get some interesting answers if one choice on your poll was: Used to own a gun, lost it in a boating incident.

bob.a · April 21, 2013, 04:37 PM

I generally don't participate in random phone polls. It's usually obvious from the first few questions that the poll is slanted to produce a particular response.

Essay questions only.

I'd certainly not tell a random stranger about the contents of my house.

BuckRub · April 21, 2013, 11:47 PM

Yea I love guns, have a huge collection in my house. I can answer your questions today because I will be gone next two weeks on vacation. Then next month I'm suppose to get an alarm for my house. Hehe

Skans · April 22, 2013, 04:40 PM

Gun ownership only increases, it never decreases. Here's why. Since most guns made since about 1900 are still serviceable today, every time a gun is manufactured, that just adds to the total number of guns available for us to own.

Most people who have guns have more guns than children. So, a high percentage of all children of a gun owner will also become gun owners some day. While this is happening, gun manufactures continue to make guns at record speed. We have more gun manufacturers working around the clock to produced good quality firearms that will last at least 100 years. Non-gun owners are buying guns for the first time all the time. We see it here, in gun stores, among friends - everywhere.

The NRA membership is at an all time high - in fact, I believe they are having a heck of a time just staying on top of all of the new NRA memberships.

Now, if the Senate believed the accuracy of some of these media polls out there, they wouldn't have backed off of gun control legislation. The fact is, the Senators know the real numbers, and that is what backed them off of more gun control legislation.

745SW · April 23, 2013, 02:11 PM

My explanation as to why people have largely kept firearms low key or completely out of sight like being underground, it’s an adaptive change because of the environment. The turning point, I think, was somewhere around the year 1968. It was a time firearms where comparatively highly visible from department stores like Montgomery Wards, Kmart and others to pawn shops, it was very much the norm. A handgun can be purchased via mail order or if you needed more immediacy just drop by the local hardware store that had a decent selection.

Today virtually all the above avenues of firearm acquisition have disappeared hindered by paperwork, waiting periods and fees. The days of being able to carry a long gun in a case on mass transit or on a motorcycle are long gone.

In recent times I had the pleasure of saying to Leo (a fellow member of the Buddhist church) I told you so, the complete defeat of gun control. Yet he says, like the media, it will resume at a later date. Leo is from the land of the big tamale and like most of foreign origin but not all, he is pro gun control. I think the state of NY is similar.

seeker_4 · April 23, 2013, 02:25 PM

Love living rural. I have never had anyone taking polls in person. By the time they drive out here, see all 4 doggie doorbells I'd be thinking they really wouldn't care what I owned.
But true, I never gave thought about the accuracy since to my knowledge I don't get phone polls either. Once in awhile someone gets to say "I am taking a poll" and that's when they hear a click. I think they keep numbers of folks willing to take part and consistantly call them. Not that I blame them as "click" doesn't say much.

TX Hunter · April 23, 2013, 02:40 PM

Yes I would put Yes because as a Collector of Curio and Relic Firearms I am required to keep a record of the firearms in my Collection. Therefore answering no would be perjury.

**Spats McGee** · April 23, 2013, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TX Hunter

Yes I would put Yes because as a Collector of Curio and Relic Firearms I am required to keep a record of the firearms in my Collection. Therefore answering no would be perjury.

No, it wouldn't. It might be lying. It might be many things, but unless someone answers the poll questions under oath, it's not perjury.

zincwarrior · April 23, 2013, 02:47 PM

Quote:

I don't answer any polls.

Agreed as policy I don't answer polls or questionnaires by anyone about anything.

1. No good can come from it.
3. If they really wanted the informaiton, they should offer to pay me.

View Poll Results: If you were asked whether you own a gun by a pollster you would answer....
Yes, I own more than one even.	27	14.92%
Yes, (But refuse to answer about any details.)	40	22.10%
Refuse to answer the question.	76	41.99%
Guns,who has guns? No guns here! (or words to that effect)	38	20.99%
Voters: 181. You may not vote on this poll

April 20, 2013, 06:31 PM	#54
larryh1108 Senior Member Join Date: July 26, 2008 Location: NC Posts: 813	Exactly, I don't put NRA stickers on my car or house not because I'm ashamed but because I don't want to be a target for thieves. I don't have the protected by Smith and Wesson or any gun related logos for the same reasons. Guns are very much in demand by thieves and if they know your house has some they'll lay in wait for you to leave and try to get them. They are more valuable than electronics and Rx. I'm not ashamed one bit to be a gun owner but I don't advertise it either. I'm not bothered one bit if Suzy Homemaker knows I have guns and she is aghast but I surely don't want her strung out son and his buddies to know I have them. Keeping them secure means more than locking them up. It means it's a need to know basis and they don't need to know. __________________ Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Last edited by larryh1108; April 20, 2013 at 07:46 PM.

April 20, 2013, 09:38 PM	#56
scrubcedar Senior Member Join Date: May 3, 2012 Location: Southwestern Colorado Posts: 507	I wonder whether the tipping point in our wanting to be close mouthed about our guns has mostly came from increased worries about robbery or government seizure? __________________ Gaily bedight, A gallant knight In sunshine and in shadow, Had journeyed long, Singing a song, In search of El Dorado

April 21, 2013, 08:42 AM	#59
vito Senior Member Join Date: June 20, 2004 Location: IL Posts: 853	Consider something: you don't always know who is really running a poll, and what data will be maintained. It could be a local newspaper, who will then publish your name and address as a gun owner. It could be a law enforcement agency just trying to get a good idea of who to keep an eye on. It could be any number of individuals or groups, none of which are necessarily acting in your best interests. Let the poll ask: do you support the Constitution of the United States? That one I will answer. And as to guns, maybe you would get some interesting answers if one choice on your poll was: Used to own a gun, lost it in a boating incident. __________________ People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf.” ― George Orwell

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

April 20, 2013, 04:32 PM	#51
745SW Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2011 Location: California Posts: 776	I too will refuse to answer virtually any poll about firearms. Not even my neighbors know I’m a gun person and I do my best to keep it that way largely for reasons already mentioned. All the loaded tacticool long gun cases don’t make any sense to me considering I need to cover it with a trash bag, blanket and use cardboard anyway. In the distant past I like many others were looking forward to show familiars my guns but not anymore. Overall it hasn’t proven to be productive in anyway and it’s not the way to get a non-interested person interested. Some folks should not own or operate guns because they are not willing to put anywhere near the effort and/or have the interest to be responsible.

April 20, 2013, 05:02 PM	#52
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Some of the worst possible things we as gun owners could be doing is refuse to answer polls, act like we're ashamed of owning guns and hide it from every one around us. "Owning and shooting guns is perfectly normal!", says I. "Then why do you hide it like you're dealing Crack?", says Me "...uh..." Normal people doing normal things don't (shouldn't) hide from other people. How do we expect others to accept it as normal if we stigmatize it ourselves?

April 20, 2013, 05:13 PM	#53
MLeake Senior Member Join Date: November 15, 2007 Location: Outside KC, MO Posts: 10,128	How do we know a pollster is legit, and not a would-be burglar?

April 20, 2013, 11:27 PM	#57
BuckRub Junior member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,046	I don't answer any polls.

April 21, 2013, 04:37 PM	#60
bob.a Senior Member Join Date: February 15, 2009 Posts: 298	I generally don't participate in random phone polls. It's usually obvious from the first few questions that the poll is slanted to produce a particular response. Essay questions only. I'd certainly not tell a random stranger about the contents of my house.

April 21, 2013, 11:47 PM	#61
BuckRub Junior member Join Date: October 3, 2012 Location: Central Texas Posts: 1,046	Yea I love guns, have a huge collection in my house. I can answer your questions today because I will be gone next two weeks on vacation. Then next month I'm suppose to get an alarm for my house. Hehe

April 22, 2013, 04:40 PM	#62
Skans Senior Member Join Date: November 20, 2008 Posts: 11,132	Gun ownership only increases, it never decreases. Here's why. Since most guns made since about 1900 are still serviceable today, every time a gun is manufactured, that just adds to the total number of guns available for us to own. Most people who have guns have more guns than children. So, a high percentage of all children of a gun owner will also become gun owners some day. While this is happening, gun manufactures continue to make guns at record speed. We have more gun manufacturers working around the clock to produced good quality firearms that will last at least 100 years. Non-gun owners are buying guns for the first time all the time. We see it here, in gun stores, among friends - everywhere. The NRA membership is at an all time high - in fact, I believe they are having a heck of a time just staying on top of all of the new NRA memberships. Now, if the Senate believed the accuracy of some of these media polls out there, they wouldn't have backed off of gun control legislation. The fact is, the Senators know the real numbers, and that is what backed them off of more gun control legislation.

April 23, 2013, 02:11 PM	#63
745SW Senior Member Join Date: August 25, 2011 Location: California Posts: 776	My explanation as to why people have largely kept firearms low key or completely out of sight like being underground, it’s an adaptive change because of the environment. The turning point, I think, was somewhere around the year 1968. It was a time firearms where comparatively highly visible from department stores like Montgomery Wards, Kmart and others to pawn shops, it was very much the norm. A handgun can be purchased via mail order or if you needed more immediacy just drop by the local hardware store that had a decent selection. Today virtually all the above avenues of firearm acquisition have disappeared hindered by paperwork, waiting periods and fees. The days of being able to carry a long gun in a case on mass transit or on a motorcycle are long gone. In recent times I had the pleasure of saying to Leo (a fellow member of the Buddhist church) I told you so, the complete defeat of gun control. Yet he says, like the media, it will resume at a later date. Leo is from the land of the big tamale and like most of foreign origin but not all, he is pro gun control. I think the state of NY is similar.

April 23, 2013, 02:25 PM	#64
seeker_4 Member Join Date: February 2, 2013 Posts: 48	Love living rural. I have never had anyone taking polls in person. By the time they drive out here, see all 4 doggie doorbells I'd be thinking they really wouldn't care what I owned. But true, I never gave thought about the accuracy since to my knowledge I don't get phone polls either. Once in awhile someone gets to say "I am taking a poll" and that's when they hear a click. I think they keep numbers of folks willing to take part and consistantly call them. Not that I blame them as "click" doesn't say much.

April 23, 2013, 02:40 PM	#65
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	Yes I would put Yes because as a Collector of Curio and Relic Firearms I am required to keep a record of the firearms in my Collection. Therefore answering no would be perjury.