this post was submitted on 25 May 2025
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It's got a point, but capitalists will also gladly sell you every tool you need to overthrow them as long as you have the money for it.
Nearly 150 million adults in the USA can go buy a semi auto rifle right now, even if their plan is to point it at Colt and Smith and Wesson.
Your point is valid but I think your figure is high.
There's a handful of states you'd need to have a permit which you can't get right away.
There's also the cost. Depending on where you look anywhere from 30% to 75% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck or are one large unexpected expense away from catastrophe. They likely don't have the expendable income to go spends hundreds on a firearm at any given moment.
This is why, even though there's somewhere between 300-500 million civilian owned firearms in the US, those firearms are owned by roughly 32% of the adult population in the country.
I'm speaking specifically about how many Americans have the legal ability to buy these weapons. The cost involved is why I added the "if they have the money" line.
I get that but there's about 258.3 adults in the US 18 or older, 196.8 adults 21 or older (some jurisdictions require a buyer to be 21).
If we apply the most conservative estimate of 30% of adults living paycheck to paycheck that leaves 180.81 million 18 or over adults, or 137.76 21 or over adults.
Averaging the 2 numbers gives us 159.285 million which is right in the ballpark of your estimate but we'd still have to account for the 32% that already own all the guns (there will be some overlap) and anybody precluded from owning a firearm (criminal record, active TRO/OFP etc.) and anybody who has to get a government issued permit first.
That's why, while I agree with your point, I think your estimate is high at 150 million.