I'm intrigued by this line of thinking. I think you're definitely on to something, but I haven't found a distinction yet within my circle of friends/family. I know people (younger & older) who collect older rifles and the latest-tech handguns and everything in between. Different tools for different jobs. Others have just one or two firearms for only deer hunting and/or self defense/carry), but again, it varies and doesn't seem to consistently apply to an gender, age range, line of work, etc.
Is it more the action type or caliber? Both?
What do you think some of these popular firearms would reveal about a person/perp?
- 9mm semi-auto/striker-fired handgun (Glock, S&W, Ruger, Walther, Sig, etc)
-.45 (1911 style) hammer-fired handgun (Kimber, CZ, Sig, Beretta, etc.)
-.380 semi-auto handgun
-1940's M1 Carbine (.30 caliber) rifle
- AR 15 (556/223 or 300 blackout, etc.)
-.22 Revolver
-.38 Revolver
-Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
This is a great thought experiment. I don't know a ton about guns but I'd guess the following:
- 9mm semi-auto/striker-fired handgun (Glock, S&W, Ruger, Walther, Sig, etc)
Could be anyone. Super common.
-.45 (1911 style) hammer-fired handgun (Kimber, CZ, Sig, Beretta, etc.)
Increased likelihood of ex-military.
-.380 semi-auto handgun
Again could be anyone.
-1940's M1 Carbine (.30 caliber) rifle
No idea the type who would own an actual 40s M1. Probably an older adult? A rifle in general though would suggest either a hunter or someone (possibly young adult) who couldn't buy a handgun and took the rifle because it's what was accessible.
- AR 15 (556/223 or 300 blackout, etc.)
A "gun enthusiast" who was neither a serious hunter nor a habitual criminal. I'd lean toward a younger perp, under 40, but not committed to that.
-.22 Revolver
Unplanned crime (that is what they had on-hand) OR someone who's cautious about noise and knows their way around a handgun.
-.38 Revolver
Unplanned crime as above; lean toward older perp but I do know younger dudes who conceal carry snub nosed .38s
-Mossberg 12 gauge shotgun
If a "tactical" Mossberg I'd think roughly the same as the AR-15. If a more traditional style I'd think along the same lines as the rifle, but more likely a hunter than someone young just working with what's accessible. [eta I realize there would be no ballistic difference suggesting which of the two it was, but hypothetically i would distinguish between the two this way]
I don't know if this is worth a




, like I said my knowledge of guns is pretty limited, but this was my knee-jerk reaction to the question.
For what it's worth, despite the rarity of it in home invasion-style crimes, for some reason I've felt from the start that a hunting-type rifle like a 30-30 or 30.06 (rather than an AR-15 or similar) was the most likely weapon in this case.