It certainly says something about American culture that there are nearly four times as many firearms dealers in the United States than there are grocery stores. Though what it means exactly is open to interpretation.
Bad comparisons make for bad data. The grocery store statistic has a specific definition and only includes those stores doing over 2 million in annual sales. Firearms dealers includes ALL licensed dealers with less than half of those being retail or pawn shops, and almost half of them being collectors.
Fair point Dustin. But there are still only around 14,000 McDonalds. Do we need 10x more gun dealers than Big Mac dealers? That's gonna make some very unhappy meals along the way.
It's simply a matter of demographics. McDonalds isn't going to be in low population areas because they simply don't get enough business for their product. However, people in rural areas often want firearms, maybe in part because they tend to be more republican, but also because they want it for hunting, protecting cattle, etc. As a result you have smaller outlets as licensed firearm dealers that also serve as suppliers of other goods to meet the demand of the rural population, in addition to firearm dealers in high-density population areas that want firearms for other reasons. Even many walmarts sell firearms. This isn't to say there isn't a "gun culture" in America, there are over 300 million registered firearms, but simply that this comparison doesn't really demonstrate anything.
I disagree that it doesn't demonstrate anything. I'm sure we will come to different opinions over what it does demonstrate. Though you yourself already pointed out that it demonstrates a gun culture in the good ole US of A.
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It certainly says something about American culture that there are nearly four times as many firearms dealers in the United States than there are grocery stores. Though what it means exactly is open to interpretation.
Bad comparisons make for bad data. The grocery store statistic has a specific definition and only includes those stores doing over 2 million in annual sales. Firearms dealers includes ALL licensed dealers with less than half of those being retail or pawn shops, and almost half of them being collectors.
Fair point Dustin. But there are still only around 14,000 McDonalds. Do we need 10x more gun dealers than Big Mac dealers? That's gonna make some very unhappy meals along the way.
It's simply a matter of demographics. McDonalds isn't going to be in low population areas because they simply don't get enough business for their product. However, people in rural areas often want firearms, maybe in part because they tend to be more republican, but also because they want it for hunting, protecting cattle, etc. As a result you have smaller outlets as licensed firearm dealers that also serve as suppliers of other goods to meet the demand of the rural population, in addition to firearm dealers in high-density population areas that want firearms for other reasons. Even many walmarts sell firearms. This isn't to say there isn't a "gun culture" in America, there are over 300 million registered firearms, but simply that this comparison doesn't really demonstrate anything.
I disagree that it doesn't demonstrate anything. I'm sure we will come to different opinions over what it does demonstrate. Though you yourself already pointed out that it demonstrates a gun culture in the good ole US of A.