Rate Of U.S. Gun Violence Has Fallen Since 1993, Study Says

[jimmy the one]

50. 1950 = wrong census

marble falls: Right. From 50% ownership in the 1950's to 37% currently. But population.... has grown and there are now more people and more powerful guns now than in the 1950's as a total number vs the percentage of ownership.
2012 population - 313,000,000 x 37% = 115,000,000
1959 population - 150,000,000 x 50% = 75,000,000

Has nowt to do with rates of gundeath, comparatively; your 115 million current gunowners (2013) is a high estimate, average estimate is around 100 million, indicating the 37% gunowner rate the culprit, & other estimates nearer 30 - 33% more accurate.

marblefalls: 1959 population - 150,000,000 x 50% = 75,000,000

You took the 1950 census & applied it to 1959, can you see where you went wrong? or did you do that on purpose to 'lessen' gun ownership in 1959?
The 1960 census would be closer to 1959 population, & voila wiki: {1960} 179,323,175, an increase of 18.5% over 151,325,798 persons enumerated during 1950 Census.

Year--Popu --------Total----Viol --Property -Murder-Rape -Robb--assault-Burg-Theft-GTA
1960 179,323,175 -1,887.2 -160.9 -1,726.3 ---5.1 -9.6 --60.1 --86.1 -508.6 -1,034.7 -183.0
2011 311,591,917 -3,295.0 - 386.3 -2,908.7 -4.7 -26.8 -113. -241.1 -702.2 -1.976.9 -229.6 http://www.disastercenter.com/crime/uscrime.htm

Compare violent crime rates above from 1960 (you cited 1959, close enough) and only the murder rate in 2011 is lower than 1960, tho at parity. Violent crime rate today is ~2.5 times higher than 1960, when the gun craze begin to gain momentum.

Using my 'updated' 1960 population, round to 180 mill (x 50% rate of gunowners then), thus 1960 gunownership increases to about 90 million compared with your figure of 75 million.
2013 population 310m minus 1960 pop 180m leaves 130 million increase in pop since 1960, and currently ~100m gunowners, less 90m in 1960 for an increase of 10 million gunowners since 1960, which also means an increase of 120m NON gunowers since 1960.
sub conclusion>> From 1960 to 2013 there has been an increase of 10 million gunowners as well as an increase of 120 million NONgunowners. THIS is what we're talking about, the gun ownership rate hasn't kept up with popu increases.

Using your figure of 115 million current gunowers would make a gunowner increase of 35m since 1960, with an increase of 95m NONgunowners, still a 3-1 increase in non-gunowners (~25% gunowner incr).
That is why gunownership is not keeping up with population growth.