Survey: Republicans In Congress Own More Guns Than Democrats

By Eyder Peralta

Published February 5, 2013 at 6:09 PM EST

Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, told USA Today she owned a dozen guns.

In Washington, everything seems to break down along partisan lines. Gun ownership is no exception.

USA Today surveyed every congressional office to ask whether its lawmaker owned a gun.

The results?

-- "One hundred nineteen Republicans and 46 Democrats declared themselves as gun owners..."

And:

-- "Only 10% of Republicans who responded said they do not own a gun, while 66% of Democrats said they are not gun owners."

The paper found that there was also a huge geographical gap in gun ownership. We'll let you click over to read the full analysis of the survey, but here is the paper's conclusion:

"Plotted on a map, the survey results speak to the cultural chasm between those districts where guns are a talisman of individualism and those where guns are viewed more as a criminal tool. Only 12 lawmakers from the Northeast, including Pennsylvania, said they own firearms, while 77 Southerners said they do.

"Congress' gun gap suggests that cultural factors are at least as important as the influence of the gun lobby in determining where members stand on President Obama's package of gun control proposals."

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said he did not think Obama owned a gun. To great fanfare, last week, the White House released a photo of him shooting skeet.