Handgun Purchase Survey

In your post, you said that you wanted to "understand the demographics of first-time handgun buyers". But in the survey, you ask whether or not our most recent purchase was our first. Should we even take the survey if our most recent handgun purchase wasn't our first?

Or would you rather we fill in the information as it would have been back when we made our first handgun purchase?
 
I also have a problem with your survey...though I can excuse you as you probably were not even a glint in you daddy's eye in 1963....

Could you redue the survey a bit. My first handgun aquisition was as a gift, in 1963 my second was inherited (1967) long before GCA68 was even thought of.

I will fill in what you have, for my latest handgun aquisition, which was last year, OK...but remember, this is far from my "first".
 
If you are interested in the demographics of first-time buyers, why even discuss "your last" purchase? You want to be asking about "your first" purchase, and if you want the survey to reflect contemporary attitudes you should limit it to participants who purchased their first handgun within the past, oh, two years or so.

I responded, but my first handgun purchase was made in the 1960s when I was in the Army. I don't think that helps your survey much.
 
Like Aguila Blanca, I am too old to be a first time buyer. Surveys are hard to construct and administer. The methodology has to be narrowly construed to ensure valid results. I used to be a grad student, but my only degree today is 98.6. :p
 
I decided not to answer it, since responses from old guys who bought their first gun decades ago wouldn't seem to be useful to the OP
 
Chances are pretty good that pre-first-time buyers aren't participating in these forums.

This is for the hard-core addicts. :-)
 
Probably most purchasers will also have more than one reason for purchase -- e.g., home defense + cc + target shooting.
 
odomshooter said:
I am a graduate student doing some marketing research on handguns. We are trying to understand the demographics of first-time handgun buyers.
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Back again, to flog the dead horse a bit more.

If you are interested in exploring the demographic of first-time handgun buyers, then the survey should be open ONLY to first-time handgun buyers. If that is established, a question such as "Was this your first handgun purchase?" is extraneous and meaningless, because you are not seeking opinions from any group who would not answer yes to the question.

Second, asking why they bought a handgun is not a demographic question. I certainly understand that it has marketing implications (you can't sell widgits if you don't understand why people buy widgits), but the question is not demographic in nature. Which means you apparently don't understand what your survey is surveying.

IMHO, "demographic" data pertaining to first-time handgun buyers would include:

  • Age group
  • Gender
  • Race (color/ethnicity)
  • Education level
  • Occupation classification (professional/clerical/technical/manual/___)
  • Income range
  • Residence (urban/suburban/rural)
  • Population of residence municipality (ranges)
  • Etcetera

Other questions, such as "Why did you buy this handgun?" are of interest and importance, but are not "demographic."

Also, be aware that choice of words matters. "Why did you buy this handgun?" is not necessarily the same question as "Why did you buy a handgun?"

To the former, I might answer that, "I bought a MegaBlaster X13 because I looked at the MicroBlaster Z11 and I decided the .503 Zulu chambering is just too wimpy for effective self defense. The .575 Zombie round is a sure one shot stopper."

That's very different in focus from, "I bought a gun because my girlfriend wanted me to feel safer when I leave work and she can't pick me up."
 
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Same tune as others. Far from my first handgun.

Did you use any online reviews or discussions to aid in your decision prior to making your purchase? *
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When I made my previous handgun purchase the internet as we know it today didn't exist.
 
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