LOS ANGELES - California may be the home of the Western movie, but it's not one of the top states for gun ownership.

Rural states with low population density have the highest gun ownership rates, according to a paper published in the medical journal Injury Prevention.

The study also linked a strong gun culture with ownership, but couldn't say which came first (a "chicken or the egg" situation as one says). A significant portion of gun owners were over the age of 55.

Urban areas, which tend to have weaker gun cultures, perhaps explains California's ownership rate of 35.7 percent.

The national average is 29.1 percent. About one out of every three Americans owns a gun. (San Francisco Chronicle)

Story Date: July 8, 2015