Misconceptions About Gun Owners

There's a popular quote that says, "Legal gun owners have over 300 million guns and 12 trillion rounds of ammo. If we were the problem, you’d know it." In spite of how true this statement is, misconceptions about gun owners still persist. Outlined below are some of the most common misconceptions about gun owners in America and why most of them simply are not true.


Misconception #1: Gun Violence is Skyrocketing in America


Any time there is a substantial push for further gun control, those in favor of gun control try to convince the masses that gun violence is skyrocketing out of control in the United States. Listen to them long enough and you'd think that Americans were gunning each other down left and right. This idea, however, is largely a myth.


The truth is that gun violence has actually decreased by about 50% since its peak in 1993. While gun violence in America compared to other countries is sometimes higher, overall violent crime is usually either less prevalent or the same. Compared to some countries with strict gun control laws such as Mexico, America's gun violence crime rate is substantially lower.


Misconception #2: Gun-Free Zones are Effective at Stopping Crime

This wishful thinking is something that completely falls apart in the face of common sense. After all, is a criminal intent on using a gun really going to change their mind and go home because they see a sign that says "gun free zone"?


Unfortunately, not only are gun-free zones completely and utterly ineffective at stopping crime, they often encourage it. An unsettling majority of recent mass shootings have all taken place in gun-free zones, leaving one to wonder why on earth anyone would continue to advertise the fact that their property is a risk-free target by proclaiming it a "gun-free zone".


On top of this, cities with highest gun violence in the US are consistently the cities with the strictest gun control (New York and Chicago, to name a couple), which is evidence of the fact that declaring an entire city a gun-free zone of sorts isn't a good idea either. 


Misconception #3: The Second Amendment Does Not Apply to Modern Weapons


It's true that modern firearms are far more effective than the best weaponry available during the time the Second Amendment was penned. Gun control advocates, though, try to use this fact to argue that the Second Amendment no longer applies. 


The founding fathers, however, were intentionally non-descriptive in their writing of the Second Amendment, choosing to neither include or exclude any weapons past, present, or future in the amendment. They undoubtedly foresaw the fact that weapons would advance as the years went by and still believed it was important that the US population be able to arm themselves with weapons that would allow them to defend themselves against whatever foreign and domestic threats exist at the time. 


In the same way free speech still applies even though we now have the internet and TV instead of quill pens, the Second Amendment still applies no matter what form firearms take.


Misconception #4: Assault Weapons are a Real Problem 


One of the favorite buzzwords of gun-control advocates is the term "assault weapon". Of course, it's mostly up to individual interpretation what they are referring to; there's no model or classification of firearms that are called "assault weapons".


Mostly, they use the term to refer to guns that look scary such as the AR-15. Their relentless attack on these type of weapons has actually led some states to pointlessly ban harmless features such as pistol grips and extendable stocks simply because of how they make a firearm look.


As much blame as gun control advocates want to put on the AR-15 and other semi-automatic, militaristic looking guns that fall under the imaginary definition of "assault weapons", the truth is that these guns are not at all the problem. The facts about gun violence show that only a tiny percentage of gun violence involves these firearms, while the vast majority of crimes are actually carried out using much more "normal-looking" weapons such as handguns.


Misconception #5: Only Right-Wing Conservatives Own Guns 


Tell someone you're a gun owner and chances are they're going to automatically assume you're a conservative Republican. While most Republicans in power are indeed in favor of gun-rights, that doesn't mean that everyone who owns a firearm votes Republican.

In fact, surveys have shown that just a little over 50% of gun owners are Republican. On the whole, gun owners are a wide-ranging and diverse group that cannot be stereotyped by education, religion, or political leanings. After all, the desire to defend oneself has no real correlation to any of these things. 


We're Not Snowflakes, But We're All Unique 


 The truth is, no matter your political affiliation, sexual orientation, religious beliefs or clothing style, owning a gun is a Constitutional right. If you are legally able to arm yourself and want to do so, then we're here to support you with training, equipment and knowledge. We're proud to stand behind the 2nd Amendment and defend every Americans legal right to own a firearm.


Gun owners come from so many different walks of life, and as such, it's simply ignorant to lump all gun owners into the same bucket. Most of us just want to have the ability to defend ourselves, our loved ones and our property should we ever need to. 

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