Euclidean

I'm curious...

For those of you not familiar with the 80/20 rule, it states that 80% of something is controlled by 20% of the people who have interest in it.

Makes sense right? The hardcore, wealthy, and hardcore and wealthy will naturally dominate any interest, enterprise, or pursuit.

What I'm getting at, is considering all the private arms in the US, do you think the 80/20 rule applies? Does a small fraction of gun owning Americans own most of the supply?

It seems entirely likely. I own right at 11 pieces myself... yikes how did that happen... and consider my collection small, but I know plenty more people who own 2 guns or 1 gun. My brother owns exactly 3 guns, my mom only 1, several of my uncles only have 1 or 2.

Now put me against some of you guys with a few dozen or a few hundred of the things, and I become convinced the rule is probably true.

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P95Carry

You probably have a point Euc - whether 20/80 (I'm turning this ratio round!) is probably academic but I am sure that a huge percentage of gun owning folks would be in the ''handgun and rifle'' - one of each category.

I have something like 67 guns I think all told - and reckon I am most certainly in the minority grouping

This rule reminds me of the ''helper deal'' at gun clubs - where the ratio is more 10/90 - ask for help to get stuff done and out of total membership - maybe (if lucky) 10% might respond!!!

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Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

PatrioticRick

Only four here at present time

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BCurry1

The 80/20 rule applies to all businesses. 80% of your revenues come from 20% of your customers. I would believe that firearm related industries are no different. The top 20% of customers, make up 80% of total revenues.

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Curry

srfl

When it comes to firearms, count me as "hardcore" and certainly not wealthy (I am a gov't employee after all)....as such I own a fair number of guns.

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Scott

Definitely. Over 50 here and going up albeit slowly right now.

Look at the ratio of CCW holders to gun owners. Look at hunting license sales vs gun owners. Lower than 20/80 in my experience. It is the vociferous minority that drives the agenda in any group.

P95, at my club you needed to lower that to 5% of members coming out. Most figured they were just buying a membership and forgot about the workday requirement. We had about 35 members show up for the bylaws changes vote out of about 750-800 members.

In my experience 5% or less in our group make the policies, drive the agendas and even less probably lobby. I will say that I am definitely in that vociferous less than 5%.

-Scott-

Rock and Glock

Yea - the 80/20 rule is darn near one of those "constants" in business. Almost "Pi" like status. Applies in a lot of wierd places.

In a prior life, 80% of my client revenue came from 20% of my clients, as BC mentioned, BUT 80% of my client problems came from 20% of my PITA clients! I knew which clients to chase off!

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Richard

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Wayne

Only about 30 here. I would guess that the ratio would be true. When I go to browse (and end up putting on lay-a-way) gun(s), I am within the 20% of their paying customers. As the ratio at the store while I am there is about 10 to 1 (me being the 1) and I and maybe one or two others will buy (putting on lay-a-way is considered buying).

The same ratio can be seen at voting time. Only about 20% of all gun owners will actually get out and vote (more like 10% in real life). The guesstimate is that there are about 80 million gun owners out there. This accounts for all, the hunters that think that "they won't take mind and why do people need "assault weapons", the gun snobs who don't understand or wish to understand that not everyone can afford a $500+ firearm so why do we need cheaper firearms, the skeet/clay shooter with their $12000 shotgun who doesn't understand why anyone needs a handgun or a so-called "assualt weapon", and then you have the hard core, us, that are just fed up with the above gun owners.

So, yes, only a small amount own the most guns, the hard corp., the other 80% of "gun owners" are the ones that would cut off our noses to spite our faces, because it would/could never happen to them.

/sorry, got on a rant... now back to our normally scheduled program

Wayne

dpesec

The actual term is Pareto's Principle. It's been around for a very long time. We studied it in my Managerial Theory class. Very interesting.

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Dave

“The highest obligation and privilege of citizenship is that of bearing arms”. General George Patton—US Army

Vis et Veneratio

"So this is how democracy dies: to thunderous applause." Actress Natalie Portman as Padme in Star Wars Revenge of the Sith

yoshi

80/20 is a function of decadence though -
If I have $20,000 and go to buy something
and Mr. Smith has $100,000 and goes to buy that same type of item
it goes without saying that Mr. Smith has more buying power by using both a higher dollar figure, and a lower percentage of his income.
Hence Mr. Smith can afford the Mercedes E350, and I buy a used Mazda - both are cars, we both budget about the same (% of income) but cause Mr. Smith would never be caught dead in a Mazda....

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