Gun Owners - a true example of American diversity

By Jim Irvine

Just who is the "gun owner" and how did he become so important?

Every election cycle we see politicians courting the "gun vote" and we hear stories about how the NRA is the most powerful lobbying group in Washington D.C. A look at the diversity of gun owners explains why this is such an important and powerful voting bloc.

Many gun owners can identify with multiple different groups, and may move from one to anther during different portions of their life.

The Backwoods Redneck
This is the gun owner the media most loves to talk about. He lives not just in the country, but in a poor rural area. He is predominately white and male. He has never been to college and may not even have graduated high school. He is not politically oriented. He is a simple man of simple means, and he understands that a gun is an important tool of survival, something that somehow escapes many so-called "enlightened" men.

The Collector
The collector is simply an investor who has realized that diversity is investing in something besides paper promises from Wall Street. Like the art collector, they can be either man or women, and tend to be well educated and earn an above average income. They lean Republican.

The Plinker
This gun owner may be the largest in terms of pure numbers. They are similar to the "Backwoods Redneck" gun owner, but can't be as easily defined in terms of demographics. They enjoy a good time, especially with their family and loved ones. Their fathers taught them to shoot and they pass those fond memories on to their kids. Girls revel in being able to keep up with their brothers in this sport ranging from knocking down tin cans to scoring shots on a target.

The Hunter
They get a lot of attention, and for good reason. They come from every state and spend more than 20 billion annually. While the media paints them as men, women are taking to the field in increasing numbers. Media also likes to paint them as the "Backwoods Redneck" but their numbers and the amount of money they spend clearly indicate a much broader section of the population. Hunters come from every socioeconomic background and education level. While hunting is more popular in rural areas, (where hunting is much easier), it is also very popular among affluent urbanites. There is an entire industry aimed at the executive who has money to spend, but lacks the time to scout their own hunts. While big game in the fall gets the most attention and most money, there ar emany types of wildlife that are hunted through a variety of seasons. Hunter's license fees pay to run departments of Natural Resources and are responsible for the healthy populations of most of our wildlife. They are the true "environmentalists." Hunting is a sacred rite of passage in many families and is one of the best ways to teach responsibility to children, as well as form bonds that can be critical in todays fast paced, techno driven world. Many hunters left the Democratic party years ago, but are now returning as party politics and not "guns" seems to be the driving force in both parties.

The Concealed Carry Licensee
This is likely the fastest growing type of gun owner, and women are the fastest growing segment within the group. Painted by the media as "paranoid" and "vigilantes", this group is as close as any group gets to model citizens. With crime rates lower than police officers, they are the people you want at your side, in good times and in bad. They come from every race, religion, economic status, and other demographic in the country. They are more likely to live in urban settings (where more crime occurs) than rural. They are the most politically active group of gun owners and take pride in their personal responsibility. Family is a priority in their life and they understand that the Second Amendment is not primarily about hunting.

The Competitor
The athletes of the group, these gun owners range from the new shooter who joins a league at the local gun range, to "bullseye" shooters, to the IDPA shooters who attend weekend matches, to the Olympian. They are the opposite of the machine gunner (see the Class III shooter below), and will take more time to fire one shot than others do to empty a 30 round magazine. They care about accuracy first, foremost and always, and the worst of them has far above average marksmanship skills. To them, gun control is putting the second bullet through the same hole the first bullet made.

Cowboy action
Cowboy action shooters could be considered a sub-category of competition shooters, but are unique enough that they warrant their own slot. The cowboy action shooter is about fun. A competition is a combination between Halloween and a time-warp weekend. Guns are just a small part of the costume. Unlike other competitors, they must be proficient with three different types of firearms (rifle, Shotgun and handgun). They have substituted monikers for their given names and play up their personas. While you can get into the sport for relatively little money, many people spend thousands on their wardrobe. This group is especially family friendly as many couples have complementary outfits. Participants come from all economic and geographic backgrounds.

The Class III Shooter
This is all about fun. Many save an entire year for a weekend of shooting. They don't shoot often, but when they do they throw some serious lead down range. Favoring targets like cars and appliances over traditional targets, it's not a matter of "Can you hit it?" but rather "How fast can you obliterate it?"

The Soldier
The gun is a tool required to do their job, and they do it well. They will bet their life on their gun and their ability, and know they will win. Everything we have as a country we owe to the brave men and women who won our independence, and protect our freedom with a firearm. To some soldiers, the firearm is a reminder of hard days, and they are no more inclined to pick one up than to return to a location where they witnessed great suffering. To others it is the beginning of a lifelong appreciation of the shooting sports.

The Police Officer
Like the soldier, the gun is a tool to the police officer. While some persons with law enforcement careers fall into one of the other categories listed above, many law enforcement officers only carry a gun because they are required to, not because they see a need to. They only shoot when they are required to for requalification. Of course, the majority of police maintain an appropriate level of skill with their gun and they use it when needed to safely remove bad people from our neighborhood streets. Some police see so much violence committed by evil people with guns that they associate the gun with crime. Others see the same thing and see the gun as the only tool to allow a weaker victim to defeat a hardened criminal.

The Criminal
For the criminal, the gun is a tool of the trade. Like a crow-bar, a ski-mask, gloves, a car, a cell phone or a pair of running shoes, it is an object not capable of doing good or bad. In the possession of a law-abiding citizen, those tools are so common that almost everyone has owned several of them, and many have used every one of these in the past year. A combination of ignorance and media bias has turned the firearm, but not the other tools, into an emotional entity with a powerful mystique. The idea that a gun makes people into murders is as silly as thinking a lamp cord or pantyhose making people into rapists. Like everyone, the criminal has wants and needs. Rather than collecting a paycheck to buy things, he takes stuff by force. The gun is but one tool to get the job done. It allows him to take things from his victims, but only if they are unarmed.

The Pro-Gun Non-Gun Owner
There are many more of these than most people would believe. While they don't own a gun, they strongly support the Second Amendment. They may not be able to afford a gun, or maybe don't have the time to learn, or just don't know where to learn about guns, but they understand that choosing which rights you will give up is like choosing how you are going to die. There are no good paths to take. While generally quiet, they will raise their voice when least expected because they understand better than most how sacred our freedoms are, and they will not stand idly by while they are attacked.

The New Gun Owner
A fast-growing subset of gun owners, many were previously Pro-Gun Non-Gun Owners. Fear is certainly a part of "why" they have finally become gun owners - fear of an abusive X, fear stemming from a recent break-in or attack on themselves or a close friend or family member, fear that they will lose the right to buy guns, so they are buying one now (ironically, many of these have been seen wearing "Obama" t-shirts) - but education is really the reason for this jump. Knowledge that evil people exist. Understanding that the police will not always be there to protect you. Accepting of the fact that police are not responsible for your personal safety. Awareness that guns don't cause crime, but in the hands of good people, they do help stop it. Understanding that owning and shooting a gun is fun, responsible, and leads to a feeling of confidence and security. They are the future of the pro-gun community.

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It is easy to see why gun owners are so powerful politically. They are everywhere. They are men and women, young and old, rich and poor. They come in every size, shape, age, race, religion, level of education and political persuasion. No matter where you live or what you drive, they are your neighbor and co-worker. Gun owners are as American as apple pie.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and the host of Firearms Forum, Ohio's first talk radio show about guns and gun rights.