Gun Numbers are Erroneous

Editor, 

A recent letter to the Castro Valley Forum makes the erroneous claim that there are 390 million American gun owners. This figure is grossly exaggerated. It is actually more than the total population of the United States of roughly 331 million. Of that total population, some 8% are here as resident aliens (legal or illegal) so only 305 million are American. Census reports say 24% of Americans are children, leaving 231 million adults. Finally, surveys report that between 22% (Harvard) and 30% (Pew) of adult Americans own at least one gun. The number of American gun owners lies between 50 and 70 million, and is not 390 million. 

–Michael O’Keefe, Castro Valley