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In recent years, what appears to be abrupt decline in Household Gun Ownership (HGO) has resulted in a great deal of speculation regarding the validity of this measure and explanations for such a rapid change. Using data from 16 years of the General Social Surveys (GSS), the author examines changes in HGO over time. Hypotheses offered to explain changes in reporting HGO include differential reporting by men and women, indicating measurement error, and changes in household makeup and population, the urbanization of America, an increase in the proportion of female headed households, indicating an actual reduction in overall firearms ownership. These hypotheses are tested by using logistic regression, logistic fixed-effects models, and changing parameter models. Findings include a rejection of all current theoretical explanations of measurement error in HGO reporting over time and evidence to …