PA Bill Number: HB335
Title: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons.
Description: In inchoate crimes, further providing for prohibited offensive weapons. ...
Last Action: Removed from table
Last Action Date: May 1, 2024
Diversity of gun ownership growing as sales rise :: 12/22/2015
Americans who own firearms for target shooting, hunting and self-defense are becoming more diverse, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).
The NSSF represents the firearms and ammunition industries, and collects broad information on consumer trends in the firearms industry. According to NSSF retailer surveys, personal firearm ownership is highest among white Americans at 45 percent, compared to 34 percent of African-Americans and 36 percent of Hispanic Americans.
According to the National Rifle Association, women are the fastest-growing owners of firearms. To embrace the growing female demographic, the NRA sponsors programs such as “Refuse to be a Victim” and “Women’s Wilderness Escape.”
More women are purchasing firearms, said NSSF spokesman Michael Bazinet, and retailer surveys over the past several years have shown that 25 percent or more of retail gun-sellers’ customers are first-time gun owners as of this year.
Between 78 and 84 percent of black, white and Hispanic survey-respondents strongly agree with the statement that “it is my right to own a gun.”
In each ethnic group, according to the NSSF, personal protection is the leading purpose for firearm ownership, and white respondents were more likely to own a firearm for the purpose of target shooting. All ethnic groups who owned firearms, however, indicated that they participated in shooting activities at least once per year.
Gun sales in Lake Havasu City and throughout the U.S. spiked this month, which the city’s gun-sellers attribute to an atmosphere of fear and insecurity caused by recent mass shootings and presidential statements urging greater measures of gun control.
Gun owners in Arizona who are over the age of 21 are legally allowed to own a firearm without a license, and may carry a concealed weapon without special certification. As sales continue to rise throughout the year, nearly doubling profits for some Havasu gun-sellers, the Havasu Police Department has listed tips for gun safety.
Police spokesman Sgt. Kirk Cesena advises that gun owners should always keep a firearm’s muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Owners should never touch the trigger of their firearm unless they are prepared to shoot. When handling a weapon, owners should rest their fingers outside of the trigger guard or along the side of the gun.
Owners should also be aware of how their firearms operate, and to know how to safely open and close the action of a firearm or to remove ammunition from the firearm and its magazine. Gun owners are advised to store their firearms in a locked cabinet, safe, gun vault or storage case when not in use, and keep them in a location inaccessible by children. Cesena also advises that gun owners make sure that their children understand and be aware of firearm safety.
