On average, homeowners will spend up to four percent of their home’s value annually on maintenance and repairs. But instead of arming their homes with security systems, they are going the non-conventional route and taking matters into their own hands.
By purchasing guns and taking basic firearms training courses.
In light of the controversial presidential election and each candidate’s opposing views on gun laws, there have been plenty of studies done nationwide to try and get a feel for gun use within the American people.
The results? Older Americans and minorities are more likely to arm themselves with guns, but the reasons vary.
A survey by Harvard and Northeastern Universities show that about 55 million American gun owners are over 55-years-old. A quarter of Americans over 60 own a firearm of some kind, with 14% owning both a long gun and a hand gun.
Additionally, the National Rife Association reports that between 2010 and 2015, there was a whopping 400% increase in people over age 65 taking basic firearm safety courses.
It’s also worth noting that a study conducted by the Crime Prevention Research Center in August found that the amount of right-to-carry permits boomed nationwide, particularly amongst minorities and women. As reported on NRA’sAmerica’s First Freedom, the amount of right-to-carry permits has increased by 161% for women, and 85% for men since 2012.
Even more, the study found that between 2007 and 2015, the number of concealed carry permits issued both federally and on the state level increased by 75% among minorities compared to whites.
So, within the past nine years, the view on gun ownership is changing in America.
Why?
The reasons differ. Some have picked up an interest in hunting, while others have grown up in famililies that were big into gun sports. But for most, they are investing in firearms as a method of protection.
As reported on KY3, the NRA tries to explain this phenomenon,
“We see the increase in older adults enrolling in firearms training courses as an indicator that these citizens believe their personal protection, and the safety of their families and property, is ultimately their responsibility, and are taking the initiative to pursue proper firearms training in order to become empowered to defend themselves legally and responsibly.”
Nick Newman, an owner of a firearms store in Missouri, adds, “The comment that we hear a lot is, this world is crazy today, and things aren’t like they used to be.”
The researchers in these studies all believe these seniors feel vulnerable and must prepare for their personal safety in the only way they know how. They also found that minorities such as women and African Americans, are arming themselves as they are becoming victims of violent crime more and more.
However, these individuals have more to worry about than just their home and physical security. Their computers are just as susceptible to threats that can put their personal information at risk. In 2013, there were 82,000 new malware threats per day, and now a new report shows that this number is only increasing.
This new study, released by security corporation Check Point, finds that some form of cyber malware is downloaded every 81 seconds worldwide. They used data from 1,100 corporations and personal computers across the world, and found unsettling results.
Not only is a new threat downloaded less than every two minutes, someone accesses a malicious website every five seconds. A high-risk application is also used every four minutes, and every 32 minutes, a person sends sensitive or private data over the web.
There are undoubtably many security concerns with these unsafe practices, as personal information is incredibly easy to attain over the web. Unfortunately, even though the computer users in the reports knew they were practicing unsafe habits, they didn’t change their behaviors on the Internet.
Overall, these personal threats are severe. They can lead to a host of privacy problems from stolen identities to scams from stolen personal and business data.