--How Many Guns are in the US? (Gun Ownership Statistics)-
Aug 17, 2022 15:37:46 #
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American gun facts
How Many Guns are in the US? Last updated: Jan 7, 2022
America has more guns than any other nation in the world – and that number continues to grow each year. After fighting for their independence, the founding fathers enshrined Americans’ right to firearms in the Second Amendment. This spirit of personal freedom and liberty has carried down through the years and is evident in America’s gun culture today.
Because of this Constitutionally guaranteed right, Americans own more guns per capita than any other country. So, how many Americans own guns? Let’s take a closer look.
How Many Gun Owners in America?
32% of Americans say they personally own a firearm according to the 2021 National Firearms Survey. This means that more than 81.4 million Americans own guns. This number only includes adults over 18. When you include family members who live in their same household as a gun owner, that number jumps to 41% of all Americans. Gallup has this figure estimated at 44% of households.
Households with a Gun----Gun in Household---No Gun in Household44%---56%
Ownership Percent
Gun in Household 44
No Gun in Household 56
Most Americans Do (Or Might Someday) Own A Gun
The United States has a lot of guns, especially for a massive, peaceful, and prosperous country. In fact, about 1/3 of all the civilian guns in the world are in the hands of Americans.
The Pew Research Center has done extensive survey work on gun owners, gun ownership, and what American adults say and think about guns and gun control. America can be roughly divided into thirds with about a third of adults owning a gun. Of the two-thirds that don’t own a gun, 11% live in a household with a gun. Among that same group of Americans that don’t own a gun, half say they might personally own a gun in the future, and a third say they would never own a gun.
Future Gun Ownership Currently Own a Gun Might Someday Own a Gun Could Never See Owning Gun30.3%---33.3%--36.4%
Gun Ownership Percentage
Currently Own a Gun 30
Might Someday Own a Gun 36
Could Never See Owning Gun 33
How Many Guns in America?
There are estimated to be over 400 million guns in the United States between police, the military, and American civilians. Over 393 Million (Over 98%) of those guns are in civilian hands, the equivalent of 120 firearms per 100 citizens. The average gun owning American has 5 firearms, while nearly 22% of gun owners only have a single firearm.
The United States is unique among the community of nations in many ways. America’s cultural and historic views, as well as its laws surrounding gun ownership, are surprising to many. By way of comparison, the nation that is second place on that list is the tiny British territory of the Falkland Islands with 62 firearms per 100 citizens.
Number of Guns Purchased Per Year
There were nearly 40 million guns purchased legally by Americans in 2020 alone according to FBI records. This was higher than any other year on record so far. 2019 was the second highest year with a little over 28 million firearms purchased. This means that firearms purchases jumped by nearly 40%. These numbers are calculated from the NICS Firearm Background Check program. These number might be lower than actual sales as various state laws and purchasing scenarios might not require a background check.
Firearm Sales per
Year Guns Sold
1998 892,840
1999 9,138,123
2000 9,138,123
2001 8,910,191
2002 8,454,322
2003 8,481,588
2004 8,687,671
2005 8,952,945
2006 10,036,933
2007 11,177,335
2008 12,709,023
2009 14,033,824
2010 14,409,616
2011 16,454,951
2012 19,592,303
2013 21,093,273
2014 20,968,547
2015 23,141,970
2016 27,538,673
2017 25,235,215
2018 26,181,936
2019 28,369,750
2020 39,695,315
Gun Ownership by Firearm Type
Pistols are the most commonly owned firearm among gun owners – second is rifles and then shotguns last.
Gun Type Percent of Gun Owners Who Own Firearm Type
Handgun 82.7%
Rifle 68.8%
Shotgun 58.4%
Gun Ownership By G****r
39% of men own a firearm, while 22% of women say the same. Overall, 45% of American men and 40% of American women live in a household with a gun.
Personally Own a Firearm Household Has a Firearm
Men 39% 45%
Women 22% 40%
Source: 2021 National Firearms Survey
42.2% of all gun owners are women. 57.8% of gun owners are men.According to the Wall Street Journal, previous surveys have shown that for decades, women made up only 10-20% of gun owners.
Demographics of Gun OwnersMenWomen42.2%57.8%
G****r % of Gun Owners
Men 57.8
Women 42.2
Digging a little deeper, we find that the demographics of gun owners is changing. According to the 2021 National Firearms Survey, since 2019, nearly half of first time gun buyers are women. In that time, 3.5 million American women became first time firearm owners.
After conducting over 19,000 interviews as part of the 2021 National Firearms Survey, researchers found that the C****-** p******c, the #MeToo movement, and the unrest following the murder of G****e F***d have all contributed to increased gun ownership among American women.
Race And Gun Ownership
Many people are surprised to learn that gun ownership in America cuts across racial lines.
Researchers note that gun buyers are increasingly diverse and are becoming gun owners for a variety of reasons including increasing insecurity caused by the p******c, rising crime, and racial tensions.
Race/Ethnicity Percent that Personally Own A Gun
White 34.3%
Hispanic 28.3%
Black 25.4%
Asian 19.4%
Source: 2021 National Firearms Survey
When you expand this statistic to include entire households, we find that 47% of White, 37% of Black, and 26% of Hispanic, and 20% of Asian households in America owns firearms.
According to the 2020 National Sports Shooting Foundation Firearms Retailer Survey:
During the first half of 2020, retailers noted that the overall makeup of their customers consisted of 55.8 percent white males, 16.6 percent white females, 9.3 percent Black males, 5.4 percent Black females, 6.9 percent Hispanic males, 2.2 percent Hispanic females, 3.1 percent Asian males and 0.7 percent Asian females. The highest overall firearm sales increase comes from Black men and women who show a 58.2 percent increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year.
The Geography Of Gun Ownership
According to Pew, there is one region of the country where citizens are far less likely to own a firearm. Ironically, it is the cradle of American democracy in New England and the northeast where only 27% of households own a gun. The rest of the country is statistically tied at around 45% of households.
According to World Population Review’s analysis of the 2021 Pew data, more than 60% of households in four states keep guns.
Gun Ownership by State
Highest Gun Owning States
1. Montana: 66.3%
2. Wyoming: 66.2%
3. Alaska: 64.5%
4. Idaho: 60.1%
Lowest Gun Owning States
1. Massachusetts: 14.7%
2. New Jersey: 14.7%
3. Rhode Island: 14.8%
4. Hawaii: 14.9%
In terms of the types of communities where gun ownership is more or less prevalent, a greater share of the population own firearms in rural communities at about 58% of households. This is followed by the suburbs at 41% of households and urban areas at 29% of households.
14.714.766.366.3
Political Party Demographics
Republicans are more likely to own a gun that a Democrat, and independents fall in between. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, gun ownership tends to override partisan affiliation when it comes to firearm issues. In fact, Democrat gun owners are less likely to support an assault weapon ban or limit on magazine capacity by 20 percentage points!
Furthermore, there are many gun issues on which there is broad agreement between Republicans and Democrats including prohibiting guns from the mentally ill (Favor D 90%/ R 85%) and background checks on private sales (Favor D 92%/ R 70%).
Reasons for Gun Ownership
Beyond the data on gun ownership in America are the reasons that Americans choose to purchase and maintain firearms.
While the reasons to purchase a firearm vary widely, the most common is self-defense. Over 2/3rds of gun owners list this as the first reason that they personally own a gun.
Hunting, sports shooting, collecting, and required for a job round out the list.
While rural gun owners are more likely to hunt or collect guns as a hobby, urban and suburban gun owners are more likely to list personal protection as their primary concern.
Conclusion
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution significantly limits the federal government’s ability to regulate guns in the United States. The Tenth Amendment, which reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the state governments, means that gun rules such as where and when you can carry in public, who can purchase guns, and what types of guns and features are legal for purchase are left to the States.
As a result, gun cultures and statistics can vary widely across America’s many states and territories.
American gun facts
How Many Guns are in the US? Last updated: Jan 7, 2022
America has more guns than any other nation in the world – and that number continues to grow each year. After fighting for their independence, the founding fathers enshrined Americans’ right to firearms in the Second Amendment. This spirit of personal freedom and liberty has carried down through the years and is evident in America’s gun culture today.
Because of this Constitutionally guaranteed right, Americans own more guns per capita than any other country. So, how many Americans own guns? Let’s take a closer look.
How Many Gun Owners in America?
32% of Americans say they personally own a firearm according to the 2021 National Firearms Survey. This means that more than 81.4 million Americans own guns. This number only includes adults over 18. When you include family members who live in their same household as a gun owner, that number jumps to 41% of all Americans. Gallup has this figure estimated at 44% of households.
Households with a Gun----Gun in Household---No Gun in Household44%---56%
Ownership Percent
Gun in Household 44
No Gun in Household 56
Most Americans Do (Or Might Someday) Own A Gun
The United States has a lot of guns, especially for a massive, peaceful, and prosperous country. In fact, about 1/3 of all the civilian guns in the world are in the hands of Americans.
The Pew Research Center has done extensive survey work on gun owners, gun ownership, and what American adults say and think about guns and gun control. America can be roughly divided into thirds with about a third of adults owning a gun. Of the two-thirds that don’t own a gun, 11% live in a household with a gun. Among that same group of Americans that don’t own a gun, half say they might personally own a gun in the future, and a third say they would never own a gun.
Future Gun Ownership Currently Own a Gun Might Someday Own a Gun Could Never See Owning Gun30.3%---33.3%--36.4%
Gun Ownership Percentage
Currently Own a Gun 30
Might Someday Own a Gun 36
Could Never See Owning Gun 33
How Many Guns in America?
There are estimated to be over 400 million guns in the United States between police, the military, and American civilians. Over 393 Million (Over 98%) of those guns are in civilian hands, the equivalent of 120 firearms per 100 citizens. The average gun owning American has 5 firearms, while nearly 22% of gun owners only have a single firearm.
The United States is unique among the community of nations in many ways. America’s cultural and historic views, as well as its laws surrounding gun ownership, are surprising to many. By way of comparison, the nation that is second place on that list is the tiny British territory of the Falkland Islands with 62 firearms per 100 citizens.
Number of Guns Purchased Per Year
There were nearly 40 million guns purchased legally by Americans in 2020 alone according to FBI records. This was higher than any other year on record so far. 2019 was the second highest year with a little over 28 million firearms purchased. This means that firearms purchases jumped by nearly 40%. These numbers are calculated from the NICS Firearm Background Check program. These number might be lower than actual sales as various state laws and purchasing scenarios might not require a background check.
Firearm Sales per
Year Guns Sold
1998 892,840
1999 9,138,123
2000 9,138,123
2001 8,910,191
2002 8,454,322
2003 8,481,588
2004 8,687,671
2005 8,952,945
2006 10,036,933
2007 11,177,335
2008 12,709,023
2009 14,033,824
2010 14,409,616
2011 16,454,951
2012 19,592,303
2013 21,093,273
2014 20,968,547
2015 23,141,970
2016 27,538,673
2017 25,235,215
2018 26,181,936
2019 28,369,750
2020 39,695,315
Gun Ownership by Firearm Type
Pistols are the most commonly owned firearm among gun owners – second is rifles and then shotguns last.
Gun Type Percent of Gun Owners Who Own Firearm Type
Handgun 82.7%
Rifle 68.8%
Shotgun 58.4%
Gun Ownership By G****r
39% of men own a firearm, while 22% of women say the same. Overall, 45% of American men and 40% of American women live in a household with a gun.
Personally Own a Firearm Household Has a Firearm
Men 39% 45%
Women 22% 40%
Source: 2021 National Firearms Survey
42.2% of all gun owners are women. 57.8% of gun owners are men.According to the Wall Street Journal, previous surveys have shown that for decades, women made up only 10-20% of gun owners.
Demographics of Gun OwnersMenWomen42.2%57.8%
G****r % of Gun Owners
Men 57.8
Women 42.2
Digging a little deeper, we find that the demographics of gun owners is changing. According to the 2021 National Firearms Survey, since 2019, nearly half of first time gun buyers are women. In that time, 3.5 million American women became first time firearm owners.
After conducting over 19,000 interviews as part of the 2021 National Firearms Survey, researchers found that the C****-** p******c, the #MeToo movement, and the unrest following the murder of G****e F***d have all contributed to increased gun ownership among American women.
Race And Gun Ownership
Many people are surprised to learn that gun ownership in America cuts across racial lines.
Researchers note that gun buyers are increasingly diverse and are becoming gun owners for a variety of reasons including increasing insecurity caused by the p******c, rising crime, and racial tensions.
Race/Ethnicity Percent that Personally Own A Gun
White 34.3%
Hispanic 28.3%
Black 25.4%
Asian 19.4%
Source: 2021 National Firearms Survey
When you expand this statistic to include entire households, we find that 47% of White, 37% of Black, and 26% of Hispanic, and 20% of Asian households in America owns firearms.
According to the 2020 National Sports Shooting Foundation Firearms Retailer Survey:
During the first half of 2020, retailers noted that the overall makeup of their customers consisted of 55.8 percent white males, 16.6 percent white females, 9.3 percent Black males, 5.4 percent Black females, 6.9 percent Hispanic males, 2.2 percent Hispanic females, 3.1 percent Asian males and 0.7 percent Asian females. The highest overall firearm sales increase comes from Black men and women who show a 58.2 percent increase in purchases during the first six months of 2020 versus the same period last year.
The Geography Of Gun Ownership
According to Pew, there is one region of the country where citizens are far less likely to own a firearm. Ironically, it is the cradle of American democracy in New England and the northeast where only 27% of households own a gun. The rest of the country is statistically tied at around 45% of households.
According to World Population Review’s analysis of the 2021 Pew data, more than 60% of households in four states keep guns.
Gun Ownership by State
Highest Gun Owning States
1. Montana: 66.3%
2. Wyoming: 66.2%
3. Alaska: 64.5%
4. Idaho: 60.1%
Lowest Gun Owning States
1. Massachusetts: 14.7%
2. New Jersey: 14.7%
3. Rhode Island: 14.8%
4. Hawaii: 14.9%
In terms of the types of communities where gun ownership is more or less prevalent, a greater share of the population own firearms in rural communities at about 58% of households. This is followed by the suburbs at 41% of households and urban areas at 29% of households.
14.714.766.366.3
Political Party Demographics
Republicans are more likely to own a gun that a Democrat, and independents fall in between. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. For example, gun ownership tends to override partisan affiliation when it comes to firearm issues. In fact, Democrat gun owners are less likely to support an assault weapon ban or limit on magazine capacity by 20 percentage points!
Furthermore, there are many gun issues on which there is broad agreement between Republicans and Democrats including prohibiting guns from the mentally ill (Favor D 90%/ R 85%) and background checks on private sales (Favor D 92%/ R 70%).
Reasons for Gun Ownership
Beyond the data on gun ownership in America are the reasons that Americans choose to purchase and maintain firearms.
While the reasons to purchase a firearm vary widely, the most common is self-defense. Over 2/3rds of gun owners list this as the first reason that they personally own a gun.
Hunting, sports shooting, collecting, and required for a job round out the list.
While rural gun owners are more likely to hunt or collect guns as a hobby, urban and suburban gun owners are more likely to list personal protection as their primary concern.
Conclusion
The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution significantly limits the federal government’s ability to regulate guns in the United States. The Tenth Amendment, which reserves powers not granted to the federal government to the state governments, means that gun rules such as where and when you can carry in public, who can purchase guns, and what types of guns and features are legal for purchase are left to the States.
As a result, gun cultures and statistics can vary widely across America’s many states and territories.
Aug 17, 2022 16:17:48 #
thebigp wrote:
--- br American gun facts br br br br How Many ... (show quote)
Interesting post Mr. P, While I can not imagine America without guns.. Some regulation should be done.. what sort? That is a darn hard question... While I got my first gun when I turned 6 years old, using it was a bit of a challenge. Go out myself and shoot "things" Ha, Only with Dad next to me.. other wise shooting alone had t be when he was working the fields or busy doing something.. other wise never happened until I was a teen ager.. NO, not quite true by a number of years. But no shooting with any other kid...
For the record, I do favor more limits on gun ownership and usage but just what rules to apply can be challenging in and of itself.. Like to see a few comments on the subject..
Aug 17, 2022 16:29:34 #
So, you’re in favor of some sort of gun “regulation”. Evidently that “regulation” would LARGELY apply to law abiding citizens, yes? Why? Because, do you think criminals report, on a survey, that they own a firearm?
How about we talk about “regulating” firearms among criminals(?)
How about we talk about “regulating” firearms among criminals(?)
Aug 18, 2022 07:13:55 #
permafrost wrote:
Interesting post Mr. P, While I can not imagine Am... (show quote)
We already have far too many firearm regulations.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
Aug 19, 2022 04:56:33 #
JR-57 wrote:
We already have far too many firearm regulations.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
: Aug 19, 2022 12:55:53 #
permafrost wrote:
Interesting post Mr. P, While I can not imagine Am... (show quote)
I teach concealed carry as a business. I have spoken to several local law officers and without exception they all agree that having responcibly armed citizens in public is a good thing. And I can tell you from personal experience having a gun on my hip wheather concealed of not makes me very aware of what I'm doing...I never drink while I'm carrying, I'm very aware of how I act behind the wheel of my truck, I don't flip people off. I smile more and curse under my breath. I've been in combat and I know the price that k*****g someone does in your mind.
And if you look at the increase in gun sales...take a look at what has been happening to the country.
Aug 19, 2022 12:56:31 #
JR-57 wrote:
We already have far too many firearm regulations.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
Aug 19, 2022 13:09:35 #
Oldsalt wrote:
I teach concealed carry as a business. I have spok... (show quote)
very few people are actually for the confiscation of guns.. what to do? I hope somethings can be found to mitigate the situation..
Both my grand son land grand doughtier, the oldest two.. have CC permits and carry .. but not every day..
Aug 19, 2022 13:17:16 #
permafrost wrote:
very few people are actually for the confiscation of guns.. what to do? I hope somethings can be found to mitigate the situation..
Both my grand son land grand doughtier, the oldest two.. have CC permits and carry .. but not every day..
Both my grand son land grand doughtier, the oldest two.. have CC permits and carry .. but not every day..
Good for them. 👍🏻
We have more than enough existing laws to curb crime issues. Zero tolerance is the answer to reducing crime. Even then, thugs will do what thugs gotta’ do. No law will ever stop that. Get them off the street. Stop making law abiding citizens pay for the crimes but adding more restrictions and constraints.
Aug 19, 2022 13:52:43 #
JR-57 wrote:
We already have far too many firearm regulations.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms.
The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.
Hmmm . The Right of the PEOPLE to KEEP and Bear Arms Shall NOT be Infringed ... ????? What am I missing here ???
Aug 19, 2022 13:53:43 #
DamnYANKEE wrote:
Hmmm . The Right of the PEOPLE to KEEP and Bear Arms Shall NOT be Infringed ... ????? What am I missing here ???
Maybe read my post again? “The 2nd Amendment does not grant us the right to bear arms. The 2nd Amendment denies the government the authority to infringe upon our right to bear arms.”
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