Arthur C. Brooks reports; that according to the general social survey, gun owners are substantially happier than others.
Why is it so? Reporting from my own personal experience:
- The major reason for owning a gun is to protect those you love. Those who have someone they love, someone they would risk death for, someone they would kill for, are likely to be happier.
- Those who know that they can defend that which they love, are likely to be happier.
- An important indicator was that gun owners spent about 15% less of their time than nonowners “feeling outraged at something somebody had done”. Obviously this is a big contributor to happiness. If they spent 15% less of their time feeling outraged, they presumably spent something like 15% less of their time feeling powerless, impotent, and afraid.