Ugh

The whole “Bittergate” “scandal” (info if you’re just tuning in) makes me too angry to write much about it. The statement wasn’t that people become religious or start hunting because they live in economically depressed rural areas, but that there is a tendency for them to vote on second amendment and religious issues. He was saying that they’re bittered by politics, not that they lead sour, depressing, meaningless lives. The amount of mock-outrage coming from millionaires about this is amazing.

I like how the WSJ editorial brings in the data, though:

In 2006, 36% of gun owners said they were “very happy,” while 9% were “not too happy.” Meanwhile, only 30% of people without guns were very happy, and 16% were not too happy.

and

[Gun owners] have the same level of formal education as nongun owners, on average. Furthermore, they earn 32% more per year than nonowners

Most of these observations aren’t that meaningful. The high average salary of gun owners could just be because of the Dick Cheneys of the world. Median would be slightly more interesting. But in general, a statement like “People who own X earn more than people who don’t earn X” isn’t terribly surprising for most non-essential products.