AMERICANS OWN LARGEST NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN WORLD

DeutschePresse via Bloomberg no url | 7/8/3

[NativeNewYorker]

New York (dpa) - A study released Tuesday on legal gun ownership

worldwide shows the United States - not surprisingly - leads the

world, but it also shows that Europeans own a high number of firearms. 

   The number of guns owned by civilians in the United States is

between 238 million and 276 million, making country of 268 million

people the most armed in the world, the study by the Graduate

Institute of International Studies in Geneva said. 

   But it also said the 15 European Union nations, with more than 300

million people, have a total of 84 million firearms, with Finland

leading in per capita gun ownership. 

   The study was presented to a 156-nation conference at U.N.

headquarters on progress made in banning the illicit trade of small

and light weapons around the world, which killed an estimated 500,000

people a year. Those weapons are military sidearms, assault rifles,

rifles, sub-machine and machine guns and grenade launchers. 

   The Swiss study focused on legal gun ownership among ordinary

citizens, excluding military personnel and police officers. It said

what the study revealed about Europe debunked the belief that

Europeans are disarmed and do not privately hold a large stock of

guns. 

   It said 80 per cent of the estimated 84 million firearms in Europe

are in civilian hands, with Finland leading with 39 guns for every 100

citizens, followed by Norway with 36 guns, Sweden with 24 guns and

Denmark with 18 guns. 

   But the United States, which the study estimates has between 83 and

96 guns for every 100 people, still has far more guns per person than

Europe, where the survey estimates there are 17.4 guns for every 100

people. 

   The study said Americans are most armed in the world, followed by

Finns and Yememis. 

   The National Rifle Association, the leading U.S. group representing

gun owners, says there are more than 200 million privately owned

firearms in the United States. These guns are owned by about 60

million people, NRA statistics posted at the 4-million-member

organization's website say.

   The Swiss group was among the nongovernmental organizations that

were taking part in the conference to review implementation of the

2-year-old U.N. agreement to ban the illegal trade of small and light

weapons. There are an estimated 600 million such weapons around the

world, both legally and illegally owned. 

   The U.N. has denounced the lucrative illegal trade of small arms

for fueling civil wars, threatening peace efforts and development

projects in poor countries. 

   When the week-long conference opened Monday, the research group,

the International Action Network on Small Arms (IANSA), said little

progress had been made to implement the ban. It said only 37 of the

156 governments have set up national committees in the past two years

to coordinate action against small arms, and 56 have submitted

progress reports to the U.N. on implementing the ban. 

   Progress has been ''particularly slow'' in countries in North

Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, it said.

[AppyPappy]

WE'RE NUMBER 1! WE'RE NUMBER 1! WE'RE NUMBER 1! WE'RE NUMBER 1!

[Tijeras_Slim]

WE'RE # 1!
WE'RE # 1!
WE'RE # 1!
WE'RE # 1!
WE'RE # 1!

[Support Free Republic]

A Recall AND a Fundraiser? I'm toast.

Let's get this over with FAST. Please contribute!

[Tijeras_Slim]

Great minds....

[The Shootist]

"AMERICANS OWN LARGEST NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN WORLD"

Good.

[BlueLancer]

"AMERICANS OWN LARGEST NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN WORLD"

And, to the UN ...

Don't you forget it!

[Michael Barnes]

"Behind every blade of grass...."

[jospehm20]

Great news.

[nothingnew]

YES!! And we AIM to keep it that way!

FMCDH!

FMCDH

[wideawake]

Thank God for that.

BTW, I don't see anyone cracking on Finland for their relatively high precentage of gunowners.

[ChefKeith]

I would bet that Texans are the most well armed in the U.S.

[toothless]

In other news, the sky is blue.

[1Old Pro]

This is good news. But we can do better!

[KantianBurke]

It said 80 per cent of the estimated 84 million firearms in Europe are in civilian hands, with Finland leading with 39 guns for every 100 citizens, followed by Norway with 36 guns, Sweden with 24 guns and Denmark with 18 guns.

Someone please explain this. Convient too that they left out UNREGISTERED guns. The #'s would be alot closer if they included the armories of the criminal element.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Gotta like it !

[ChefKeith]

FYI PING

[ARCADIA]

You can never have enough guns.

[Larry Lucido]

implementation of the 2-year-old U.N. agreement to ban the illegal trade of small and light weapons

So, they want to ban something that is already banned?

[jospehm20]

Looks kinda grey from where I am sitting.

[smith288]

Im guessing that is a very intimidating fact for governments like Cuba and Canada from invading..hahaha

[Blood of Tyrants]

And among them are at least 100,000 fully automatic machine guns.

[jospehm20]

I wonder what happened to Switzerland. They did an AFN special on the gun business in Switzerlan while I was stationed in Germany. They said that the Swiss are the most heavily armed people in Europe. Every guy is drafted into the Army and than has to keep his service rifle at home for the rest of their life. It is also very easy for a citizen in good standing to buy a gun there.

[Ham Hock]

Molon labe baby!

[GovernmentShrinker]

Buy more!

[Prof Engineer]

AMERICANS OWN LARGEST NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN WORLD

And in a related story

AMERICA CELEBRATES 227 YEARS OF FREEDOM

[NativeNewYorker]

Im guessing that is a very intimidating fact for governments like Cuba and Canada from invading..hahaha

Don't laugh about Canada.

:)

[TEXASPROUD]

On behalf of my fellow Texans, thanks for recognising Texas as #1 in firearms ownership.

[Ancesthntr]

I would bet that Texans are the most well armed in the U.S.

I have heard that there is an average of 2 per adult down here. We have 21 million citizens, and you have to figure that 2/3 or 14 million are adults...28 million! We're well prepared to defend the Alamo this time.

[Redwood71]

And if diehard liberal like Stephen Spielberg would pass out their guns, we would more than double our superiority.

[Ancesthntr]

AMERICANS OWN LARGEST NUMBER OF FIREARMS IN WORLD

And in a related story ... AMERICA CELEBRATES 227 YEARS OF FREEDOM

This can't be repeated often enough.

[BlueLancer]

"I have heard that there is an average of 2 per adult down here."

Well, my wife and I are doing our part ... we've exceeded that average by 100%: small concealable pistol, heavier pistol, shotgun, and rifle each ...

[Centurion2000]

I have heard that there is an average of 2 per adult down here.

Sounds a little low ... at least in my household.

[ChefKeith]

The last I heard was after the fedscum burned down the Davidian Compound and if I recall it was something like 17.4 firearms per adult here in Texas.

I know people who have more than that.

[ChefKeith]

And that is a Full-Auto rifle required in every household for the defense of the country.

[Cobra64]

This is good news. But we can do better!

You betcha. Six months ago, the day I moved from New York to NC, I bought a Browning .380 and a Taurus .17HMR.

[ChefKeith]

You can never have enough guns.

Don't forget the bullets!

No good coming home to an empty gun! < /monty python screeching british accent >

[Cobra64]

You can never have enough guns.

BANG

[ChefKeith]

No problem

I live here too

[ChefKeith]

Prayers done for the son.

Heard from Him lately?

Where are You at?

[Cobra64]

I have heard that there is an average of 2 per adult down here. Sounds a little low ... at least in my household.

Yup. 4 pistols, 2 revolvers, 4 rifles, and 6 shotguns are in my inventory. I also reload all calibers and gages except a .22 and .17 HMR. Messers Browning, Charles Daly, Colt, Smith, and Wesson are my friends.

[Redcloak]

[SevenDaysInMay]

I bet they overlooked the weapons caches in Eurabian Mosques. Once muslim, always muslim. See 'Mein Koran' and 'Haddith' for battle plan.

The population count of 268 million in USA excluded the 10-20 million criminal aliens believed to have invaded us. The latest 2003 "estimated" census data discussed is 280-290 million. Not all are just mowing yards, rearing NO LONGER DINKS' children, cooking restaurant food, and waiting in our hospitals' emergency and delivery rooms.

We may not be #1 (per capita) after all, so get out there today and buy a Homeland Security arm, a true PATRIOT's act. Don't forget the 1,000 round rule.

Don't be caught a half inch short. Get that .50 cal. you've wanted.

[nygoose]

Progress has been ''particularly slow'' in countries in North Africa, the Middle East and parts of Asia, it said.

Why didn't the report mention that progress has been particularly slow in the United States? Has our Government signed up with the UN to disarm the people of the United States? Our politicians seem to sign up for whatever the UN wants. I would have to assume that Schumer and Feinstein have signed our country up, but are trying to keep it a secret.

[Cobra64]

Don't forget the bullets!

I think you mean "cartridges."

[Atlas Sneezed]

U - S - A!

U - S - A!

U - S - A!

U - S - A!

[SirFishalot]

The study is on civilian OWNED firearms not government issued firearms as the Swiss have. To be clear here, the Swiss also allow private ownership of firearms. As I understand it, the issued rifle becomes their private firearm after they reach a certain age. I think it was somewhere in the late 40s.

[George Smiley]

the 2-year-old U.N. agreement to ban the illegal trade of small and light weapons.

Might as well try to ban the wind.

Such weapons are easily manufactured- there are villages in Pakistan that can create a well-made duplicate of almost any weapon you bring them, without the use of modern machine tools.

There are an estimated 600 million such weapons around the world, both legally and illegally owned.

Illegally according to whom?

What they especially don't want to own up to is the fact that virtually all of these deaths they're talking about are caused by governments and those acting as agents of governments, and not by plain old civilians.

[rockfish59]

And that includes Fat Rosie!!

[get'emall]

Two of 'em are mine!