It isn’t surprising given the draconian nature of New Jersey’s notorious gun control laws, Save Jerseyans, but according to a CBS News review of the ATF’s National Firearms Registration and Transfer Record, and 2013 data from the U.S. Census, New Jersey ranks 7th (from last) in the Union for per capita firearm ownership.
The numbers? New Jersey is home to 5.8 guns per 1,000 residents, or 51,670 privately-owned and registered firearms for its approximately 8,899,339 people.
That total is likely a little low, however, given that The National Firearms Act of 1934 doesn’t account for all weapons on the market today; consequently, the study acknowledges that it’s probably under-counting.
What isn’t acknowledged? How the accompanying article’s premise is also more than a little dumb. The “heavily armed” choice of words should’ve been clue number one.
“As America reels from yet another mass shooting, inevitable questions resurface about guns laws and the nation’s pervasive firearm culture,” the slideshow-formatted story begins.
Sigh. Those questions are only “inevitable” if you ignore the data and discount for the fact that MOST mass shootings or gun-related gang fatalities are isolated in “gun free” zones and cities. We’ve discussed the variables at work here dozens of times. You have to be ignorant or dishonest to believe otherwise at this point.
Need more proof? Okay: recent FBI data definitely found a correlation between increased national gun ownership AND a decrease in violent crime throughout the United States.
Make no mistake about it, Save Jerseyans: the war on gun ownership isn’t a fact-driven, good-intentioned crusade to keep you safe. It’s a war on your “culture” (see the CBS news quote above), a/k/a your values and how you exercise them in the voting booth.
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