The data for these numbers has been gathered from two sources. From 1945 to 1987, the data was taken from "Point Blank: Guns and Violence in America" by Gary Kleck, Table 2.1. The methodology used by Kleck was applied to the figures obtained from the ATF for later years. The number shown is the cumulative addition of domestic manufacture plus imports minus exports. This does not count guns shipped to the U.S. military. The figures are rounded to the nearest million.
Kleck attributes the 1945 - 1968 numbers to Newton and Zimring, which includes the calculation of the 1945 number of modern guns added to the stock from 1899 to 1945. Firearms manufactured before 1899 are not included. The starting figure in 1945 is 47 million; at the end of 2012, it is 347 million, an increase of 300 million in 67 years, a six fold increase in the stock. The year 2013 is shown on the end of the chart as a place holder so that the figure 347 will be visible for 2012. Numbers for 2013 were not available at the time of publication.
The numbers do not account for reduction of the gun stock due to wear and tear, loss, destruction or illegal exportation; or increases of the stock from illegal importation, individual or illegal manufacture, or acquisition from military sources.
The U.S. population increased from 133 million in 1945 to 313 million in 2012, a 135% increase in population, or over a 200% increase in the number of guns per capita. Guns per capita rose from .35 in 1945, to 1.1 guns per capita in 2012.
For some perspective, motor vehicle ownership in the United States has followed a similar trend, with an increase from .22 per capita in 1945 to .809 per capita in 2011, a 269% increase.
For those who wish to put data into a program to create your own charts and graphs, here are the numbers:
From Point Blank, by Kleck:
1945 47
1946 48
1947 51
1948 53
1949 55
1950 58
1951 60
1952 62
1953 64
1954 66
1955 67
1956 69
1957 71
1958 73
1959 75
1960 78
1961 80
1962 81
1963 84
1964 86
1965 89
1966 93
1967 97
1968 102
1969 107
1970 112
1971 117
1972 122
1973 128
1974 135
1975 140
1976 146
1977 151
1978 156
1979 162
1980 168
1981 173
1982 178
1983 182
1984 186
1985 191
1986 194
1987 198
1988 - 2012 ATF reports
1988 203
1989 209
1990 213
1991 217
1992 223
1993 231
1994 238
1995 243
1996 247
1997 252
1998 256
1999 261
2000 265
2001 270
2002 274
2003 279
2004 284
2005 289
2006 295
2007 301
2008 308
2009 316
2010 325
2011 334
2012 347
©2015 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice is included.
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12 comments:
47 million to 347 million from 1945 to 2012.
That's what I call FREEDOM.
Excellent, Dean. Thus illustrating once again the absolute futility of attempts at disarming the citizenry in this country.
Mike Vanderboegh
Isn't it surprising how the crime rate is falling with the tremendous increase in fire arms? The more criminals that get dropped in their tracts the fewer criminals there are to commit the crimes. If gun ownership continues to rise we may run out of criminals at this rate.
" If gun ownership continues to rise we may run out of criminals at this rate."
HA!! Impossible. We'll all just elect more and send them to C.
"Firearms" is a federal term. You should never refer to guns or arms as "firearms." If you must register a gun, then on the paperwork, change every reference to firearm as "arm" simply by crossing out "fire." You have the right to do this. When the scum in DC trick people into entering into a written agreement that their weapon is a "firearm," then they can try to get around the Second Amendment by passing laws restricting "firearms," because they know they can't pass laws restricting either guns or "arms.
Try it, you'll like it.
I live in upstate NY. Real upstate like 4 hours NE of NYC. Since the SAFE Act was rammed through the State Legislature with no public comment period people who I thought would never own a firearm are now armed. A local big box store (Gander Mountain) has increased the size of its gun/ammo department by 70%. From 1/3 of the back wall to 3/4 of the back wall of the big box store. As a result of my observations I believe that not only can the average citizen read the Bill of Rights but that they also comprehend and value the freedom and liberty that set of ideas provides the citizen.
LONG LIVE THE REPUBLIC
2ND AMENDMENT LOUD AND STRONG!
Population 133 million to 313 million is a 235% increase not 135%.
Guns per capita from 3.35 to 1.1 is 314% not 200%.
If 133 million is 100%, then 313 million is 235%, a 135% increase.
There are two types of murder left in the US - crimes of passion and drug gang murders. Drug gangs murder each other over distribution rights to substances that were perfectly legal less than a century ago. With just handful of states legalizing pot, the street price has fallen through the floor. It's so low that Mexican farmers have stopped growing it and smugglers have stopped taking it across the border, because it's so much easier to buy in Colorado and truck it everywhere else in the country. Do that with all the drugs and crime will virtually disappear. The medical costs of dealing with overdoses and addicts are way cheaper than the prison system we have now. Asset forfeiture drug laws are unconstitutional and are part of this drug war package that is choking our country. End the drug war by legalizing the drugs, which will remove all economic incentive for the gangs, which will drop our shooting rate by probably 80%. Then we can have an honest debate about gun ownership in this country, when it becomes simply too obvious even to a gun grabber that gun ownership is not at all a bad thing. That will leave them with only the argument that only the government should have guns, which is really easy to dmeolish.
This is simply astonishing and sad for all of us. Guns are supplied by the government agencies or licensed agencies for safety and safeguard in case of emergency. It is really sad that people are using them as a weapon against humanity and killing their known ones. The hike in ratio of point blank range killing shows that they are not provided with a good training of morale duties that they are supposed to follow while buying the licensed gun.
Regards:
Mass License To Carry Class
The quote you attribute to Jefferson is....spurious. To which well regulated militia do y'all belong? And before you write me off as someone wanting to ban private ownership of firearms, I own four, have a CC permit and use it.
https://www.monticello.org/site/research-and-collections/strongest-reason-people-retain-right-keep-and-bear-arms-spurious
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