About four-in-ten say the same about hunting (38%), while three-in-ten say sport shooting, including target, trap and skeet shooting is a major reason they own a gun. About half of those who grew up with guns (47%) say they were younger than 18 when they first got their own gun, compared with 19% of those who didnt grow up with guns in their household. Here, armed protesters calling for an end to restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 gather outside the Michigan State Capitol in Lansing in April 2020. Views of gun safety and the key responsibilities of gun owners. While non-gun owners are less likely to have grown up in a gun-owning household, a substantial share (40%) say this is the case, and about six-in-ten (61%) say they have fired a gun. Small Arms Survey, 2018. Gun politics within American politics is defined by two primary opposing ideologies about civilian gun ownership. Among women who grew up in a gun-owning household, about one-in-five (22%) say they went hunting at least sometimes when they were growing up, while most say they hardly ever (18%) or never (61%) did this. Rhode Island and New York have the lowest guns per capita of 3 per 1,000 people each. About two-thirds (68%) of whites who have never owned a gun say they have fired one at some point, compared with 32% of blacks and 35% of Hispanics who have never owned a gun. Guns and daily life: Identity, experiences, activities and involvement, Gun ownership is most common among men, whites, Two-thirds of gun owners cite protection as a major reason for owning a gun, About two-thirds of gun owners own more than one gun, Most gun owners say there were guns in their household growing up, Most Americans say they have fired a gun at some point, Most Americans say society has a negative view of gun owners, but that people in their own communities look at gun owners is a positive way, 2. Wyoming has, by far, the highest number of guns per capita. It conducts public opinion polling, demographic research, media content analysis and other empirical social science research. 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Ryan/The Boston Globe/Getty Images, MediaNews Group/Boston Herald via Getty Images, Chris Melzer/picture alliance via Getty Images, Jeremy Hogan/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images, Laurie Skrivan/St. And while 85% of gun owners who say the right to own guns is essential to their sense of freedom say they cant see themselves ever not owning a gun at some point, 41% of those who dont see the right to own guns as essential say the same. In the Northeast, gun ownership was below the. The journal surveyed 4,000 adults across the country to see which states have the highest number of gun owners per capita, also known as the gun ownership rate. Interestingly, gun owners who see their local community as unsafe are not significantly more likely than those who say they live in a safe community to say protection is central to why they own a gun. (+1) 202-419-4300 | Main Now, lets take a look at gun ownership by state. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); ProjectGunner is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. In Utah, around 46.8% of adults share their homes with guns. About seven-in-ten adults (72%) say they have fired a gun at some point in their lives. This still gives us a good rate of the overall demographic trends of firearm purchases, and provides us some insight into the reasoning behind this ownership as well. David DeLoia, the owner of Heritage Gun & Coin in West Warwick, says he saw an uptick in applications for gun purchases while businesses were shuttered due to the pandemic in 2020. As a Premium user you get access to the detailed source references and background information about this statistic. Salesman Nathan Williams attends to customers at The Outdoorsman gun shop in Santa Fe. In Connecticut, 23.6% of adults have a firearm in their home. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Gun owners overwhelmingly state protection as the reason why they own a firearm. Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti shows the results of an anonymous gun buyback program in 2017. It is estimated that approximately 393 million legal guns are owned in the United States, meaning its possible every person owns a gun, possibly two. Copyright 2023 CBS Interactive Inc. All rights reserved. The RAND Corporation published a 2020 study on adults who say they live with at least. Overview and forecasts on trending topics, Industry and market insights and forecasts, Key figures and rankings about companies and products, Consumer and brand insights and preferences in various industries, Detailed information about political and social topics, All key figures about countries and regions, Market forecast and expert KPIs for 600+ segments in 150+ countries, Insights on consumer attitudes and behavior worldwide, Business information on 60m+ public and private companies, Detailed information for 35,000+ online stores and marketplaces. Back in 2017, for every one hundred people in the United States, there were one hundred twenty firearms in the hands of the general public. Show publisher information Information on estimated standard errors for each state-year estimate is provided in the full data set. It is a subsidiary of The Pew Charitable Trusts. April 14, 2022 / 6:55 PM Enjoy the Present!" About eight-in-ten young adults who grew up in a gun-owning household (79%) say this was a reason, compared with 66% of those ages 30 to 49, 60% of those ages 50 to 64, and just 34% of those ages 65 and older. Approximately 30% of adult Americans legally own at least one gun, and make up a total of 43% of all households in the United States. T he U.S. has the most firearms per capita of any country in the world. 2. Seventeen states have at least 20 guns per capita. November 15, 2022. Country music star Miranda Lambert attends the 51st Academy of Country Music Awards at MGM Grand Garden Arena with a tiny pistol in a holster attached to her shoe. (+1) 202-857-8562 | Fax According to the Pew Research Center, handguns are the most common type of firearm among gun owners. 3. This is because the highest amount of crimes committed with a firearm involve the illegal possession of a gun, a theft of a gun, or the unauthorized use or purchase of a gun. Park County Sheriff Scott Steward told CBS News there are so many guns in Wyoming that those who do not own one "are very much in the minority.". The majority of gun owners are male, and make up around 43% of gun owners. This fact still rings true, with the only major difference being that the United States population and the number of guns in the nation have grown in size. In Iowa, 43.6% of adults have guns in their homes. The passing of conceal and open carry laws has helped reduce violent crimes, and those who are issued permits for concealed carry has shown that those people are 14% less likely to engage in a violent crime. In New Mexico, 46.2% of adults have at least one gun at home. 17-19% of 40-45 million adults own a handgun. Republicans and Republican-leaning independents are more than twice as likely as Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents to say they own a gun (44% vs. 20%). Average Gun Ownership Rate per Household, 2007-2016 0-9% 10-19% 20-29% 30-39% 40-49% 50-59% 60-69% Not estimated This figure displays mean estimated household gun ownership rates for each state for 2007 to 2016. Politically, Republicans are twice as likely as Democrats to own a gun. Gun Ownership by State In 2001 the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) in North Carolina surveyed 201,881 respondents nationwide, asking them, "Are any firearms now kept in or. Republicans are more than twice as likely as Democrats to own a gun. Men are particularly likely to own multiple guns: About three-quarters of male gun owners (74%) say they own two or more guns, compared with 53% of female gun owners. First, a small-area estimation technique was used to create state-level ownership estimates for each of 51 nationally representative surveys assessing household gun ownership rates. Both Massachusetts and New Jersey have some of the strictest gun ownership laws in the United States. White, Deborah. Wyoming has "more guns per capita than any state"-yet they have a gun-related murder rate that is below the national average. There's no way to get a precise count of gun ownership in the United States on a state-by-state basis. Plus, these areas are often more rural in nature as 60% of households that own a gun are considered rural. (November 15, 2022). Law Enforcement Approaches for Reducing Gun Violence, Personal Firearm Storage in the United States, The Challenges of Defining and Measuring Defensive Gun Use, Methodological Challenges to Identifying the Effects of Gun Policies, state-level estimates of household firearm ownership from 1980 to 2016. Gun sales have . In Indiana, 44.8% of adults have at least one firearm at home. The best of the best: the portal for top lists & rankings: Strategy and business building for the data-driven economy: Industry-specific and extensively researched technical data (partially from exclusive partnerships). (+1) 202-419-4372 | Media Inquiries. RAPID CITY, S.D. Obtaining a permit or license required to even purchase a gun in these states can take weeks and is relatively rigorous. Note that the United States has, by far, the most number of guns per capita, at 89 per 100, but a homicide by firearm rate of only 3 per 100,000. Furthermore, the survey was conducted among adults who have responded to Pew Research Center surveys in the past as part of the American Trends Panel and thus may be more comfortable answering the questions. Prince William County prosecutor Richard C. Conway holds the grip of a small gun during a 2003 trial. Please do not hesitate to contact me. Among all current and past gun owners, the average age at which Americans say they first became gun owners is 22 years. According to the camp'swebsite, members can enjoy outdoor space for hiking or raising livestock as well as more than a dozen basement rooms, should people need protection from radioactive fallout. Around 49.2% of Georgian adults live in homes with guns. The number of legal guns in Germany is about 7 per 100 residents. Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2022 [Graph]. In Texas, 45.7% of adults say they live in homes with guns. In the survey the question was asked in the following wording: "Do you have a gun in your home? Most gun owners cite multiple reasons for owning a gun. Get full access to all features within our Corporate Solutions. Those who advocate for gun control support increased regulation of gun ownership; those who advocate for gun rights oppose increased restriction of gun ownership. (2021, July 31). There is also controversy over the class of people who should own a gun; convicted felons, individuals on the federal's no-fly list, and people with violent or severe mental illnesses are not allowed to own firearms. 1615 L St. NW, Suite 800Washington, DC 20036USA Chart. An estimated 40.7% of adults in Pennsylvania have guns in their homes. Adults who describe the community where they grew up as rural are particularly likely to have grown up with a gun in their household: 72% in this group say this is the case. Overall, men who currently own guns or who have done so in the past report that they first became gun owners at age 19, on average; for women who own or previously owned guns, that age is 27. firearms per 100 residents, up from 88 per 100 in 2011, far surpasses that of other . While similar shares of male and female gun owners own a handgun (73% and 71%, respectively), rifles and shotgun are more popular among men. Guns are in the households of 50.8% of Oregonians. Most guns in the United States are owned by rural households, while more men own guns than women. [9] Rural households are more likely to own a firearm than urban households, 46% vs. 19%, and those 50 or older have the highest gun ownership rate than other age groups at 33%. Cookies collect information about your preferences and your devices and are used to make the site work as you expect it to, to understand how you interact with the site, and to show advertisements that are targeted to your interests. In this photo, high school students prepare for a trapshooting match in Osage. Understanding gun ownership in America is not as simple as knowing who does and does not own a gun. Both Israel and Switzerland probably have much higher gun ownership rates, but including them, the way the Small Arms Survey does, biases the results so that those countries look lower than they actually are. This database was first released in 2020 and is available free to the public. In fact, most gun owners who cite only one reason for owning a gun say they own a single gun (65%); in contrast, 74% of those who say they own a gun for more than one reason report having at least two guns. Most (61%) say people in their community generally view gun owners in a positive way, and this is particularly the case among those who live in rural communities. And across community types, about three-in-ten cite sport shooting as a major reason. According to the anti-gun sentiment, this means just about every one of us should be dead in the street, but if you look around, that simply isnt the case. While men and women are equally likely to say there were guns in their household growing up, men who grew up in a gun-owning household are far more likely than their female counterparts to say they went hunting or shooting when they were growing up. Gun ownership in the U.S. 1972-2022 Published by Statista Research Department , Dec 7, 2022 The share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since. Guns are in the households of an estimated 42.1% of Washington state residents. The SAS found that gun ownership among civilians . Most gun owners are also college-educated, with over 50% of owners having attended college, or obtained post-graduate degrees. Statista, 2019. It covers only a subsection of weapons short-barreled shotguns, short-barreled rifles, and machine guns are included, along with silencers and destructive devices like grenades, but ordinary pistols or AR-15sare not. The founder and president of H&H Gun Range smiles at a Henry Golden Boy rifle at his store in Oklahoma City. This partisan gap remains even after controlling for demographic differences. The facility also functions as a time share: Members can book the ranch for two weeks per year for family vacations. 10. These estimates are derived from a statistical model that draws on a wide range of survey and administrative data sources associated with household gun ownership. An estimated 35.3% of adults in Florida live in homes with guns. The wording of this has been contested time and again in various courts, but in 2008, theDistrict of Columbia vs Heller case concluded that that the Second Amendment right to bear arms vests in individuals, not merely collective militias, while also ruling that the right is not unlimited. This does not mean that every US citizen can legally carry a firearm, nor does it mean that you can purchase or own any type of firearm, but it does recognize the individuals right to own and carry legally on a federal level. Numbers, Facts and Trends Shaping Your World, Next: 2. When it comes to hunting, however, rural gun owners are far more likely than their urban or suburban counterparts to say it is as an important reason they own a gun; 48% of gun owners in rural areas say this, compared with 34% in the suburbs and 27% in urban parts of the country. For example, about four-in-ten men (39%) say they personally own a gun, compared with 22% of women. Wyoming has, by far, the highest number of guns per capita. Based on this, the state of Montana has the highest gun ownership rate, with 66.3% of adults owning a gun. Jake Driskell, a police officer and owner of Gun Guy Tactical, helps first-time shooter Katherine Huffman in Petal. According to the Congressional Research Service, there are roughly twice as many guns per capita in the United States as there were in 1968: more than 300 million guns in all. RAND found that 46.8% of adults in Maine have at least one gun at home. In Arizona, an estimated 46.3% of adults have guns at home. The couple said they were defending their home. Gun Ownership by Firearm Type Pistols are the most commonly owned firearm among gun owners - second is rifles and then shotguns last. The United States has nearly twice as many guns per 100 people as the next closest country, Yemen 88.8 guns per 100 as opposed to 54.8 in Yemen: ( The Guardian/Phillybdizzle ) The top 5 states that currently have the most guns include: But these are large states, with large populations. Wyoming closely follows at 66.2%, with Alaska in third at 64.5%. The following statistics portray current gun ownership statistics in the US. Firearm related crime, deaths and injuries, Facebook: quarterly number of MAU (monthly active users) worldwide 2008-2022, Quarterly smartphone market share worldwide by vendor 2009-2022, Number of apps available in leading app stores Q3 2022, Profit from additional features with an Employee Account. Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York have the four lowest number of gun deaths. Structural equation modeling was then used to estimate ownership rates from these survey-based estimates and administrative data on firearm suicides, hunting licenses, background checks, and other indicators of gun ownership. And while 36% of whites report that they are gun owners, about a quarter of blacks (24%) and 15% of Hispanics say they own a gun. Both Massachusetts and New Jersey have some of America's most stringent gun ownership laws. Check to see how your. Handguns are the most commonly owned type of gun, followed by rifles, then shotguns. For a country with only 3.3 million people, firearms possession in Uruguay is unusually high with some 605,000 weapons registered with the government,. About four-in-ten adults (42%) report that there is a gun in their household, with three-in-ten saying they personally own a gun and 11% saying they dont own a gun but someone else in their household does. Gun salesman Nathan Palermo is shown here holding an AR-15. Among men who own or have owned a gun and who grew up in a gun-owning household, 61% say they personally became gun owners before they turned 18; a quarter of women in the same group say they were younger than 18 when they first got their own gun. This figure displays three-year rolling averages for household gun ownership rates in each state and the nation overall. Use Ask Statista Research Service. As a result, studies have relied on proxy measures, such as the proportion of suicides in which a firearm is used. Guns and daily life: Identity, experiences, activities and involvement, 3. Of this, 100 million own handguns. However, past trends in ownership include the following statistics: As mentioned earlier, these numbers are estimates based on gun sales, and are constantly changing since most guns are not required to be registered. "Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2022." ThoughtCo, Jul. In Mississippi, 55.8% of adults have guns at home. Of those who do not own a gun, 36% claim they are not opposed to ownership in the future. According to the Small Arms Survey of 2017, the United States had a population size of around 326,474,000 people. The following table shows the number of registered firearms in the U.S. by state. While reading, it's important to remember that only six states and the District of Columbia require the registration of firearms. The sum of registered firearms equals only 6,058,390, a far cry from the 393 million total in America. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Accessed January 18, 2023. https://www.statista.com/statistics/249740/percentage-of-households-in-the-united-states-owning-a-firearm/, Gallup. Gun ownership varies considerably across demographic groups. Each of these states has extremely lax gun violence prevention laws as well as a higher rate of gun ownership. Helicopter crash near Ukraine kindergarten kills children and top officials, U.S. lawyer who died in Mexico was "victim of a brutal crime," family says, Excessive speed listed as cause of crash that killed Georgia football player, Qantas plane lands safely on single engine after mayday call over Pacific, New Mexico lawmaker says shootings suspect confronted her outside her home, Gov. Due to Texas's population size, its guns per capita is 21 per 1,000 people. While about seven-in-ten gun owners who say the world has become more dangerous cite protection as a major reason they own a gun (72%), half of those who dont see the world that way say protection is central to why they own a gun. The Falkland Islands -- a British territory in the southwest Atlantic Ocean, claimed by Argentina and the subject of a 1982 war -- is home to the world's second-largest stash of civilian guns. There were about 393 million firearms in the United States, meaning that there were far more guns than there are people. Statista. "Percentage of Households in The United States Owning One or More Firearms from 1972 to 2022. "America's Passion for Guns: Ownership and Violence by the Numbers." An estimated 14.7% of Massachusetts adults have a gun in their home. However, Massachusetts also consistently has one of the lowest gun fatality rates in the United States. Wyoming is the state with the most guns per capita, while New York is the state with the fewest. By Larry B. Wilson January 9, 2023. Across all regions, gun ownership varies considerably between those who live in rural and urban areas, with rural dwellers far more likely than those who live in urban areas to say they own a gun. In Oklahoma, 54.7% of adults have guns at home. The estimated standard errors range from 2 to 4 percentage points, depending on the state and year. 1 country in terms of gun ownership. The lowest is 3 per 1,000 people in Rhode Island and New York, to 229 per 1,000 people in Wyoming. Charts explaining some of the key statistics behind gun ownership and attacks linked to guns in the US. They provide much-needed storage for guns keeping them safe from intruders or kids in the house. But the reality is, about 40% of households own a gun, and with approximately 393 million guns out there, that means most households have more than one gun on the property. The household ownership of firearms has declined in recent decades. Alaska, Montana, and South Dakota, which are all among the 10 smallest states, rank in the top five for estimated per-capita gun sales. Hopefully, this article has introduced some interesting statistics surrounding gun ownership in the United States and has provided you some insights into the vast number of firearms in existence, how they are used, and who they are owned by. Among those who dont currently own a gun, about half say they could see themselves owning one in the future. In 2017, there were nearly 40,000 gun-related deaths in the United States, including homicides and suicides. Overall, 69% of all U.S. adults and 75% of those who own a gun say the world has become a more dangerous place. An estimated 53.1% of adults in the Bayou State have guns at home. But gun ownership per capita has dropped by 23% during the same time, said Associate Prof Philip Alpers from the University of Sydney. For the most part, gun owners in urban, suburban and rural areas offer similar reasons for owning guns. A model walks the runway during the NRA Concealed Carry Fashion Show in Milwaukee. Still, there are windows into the world of gun ownership slices of data that offer pieces to the puzzle. On average, men who grew up in a gun-owning household report that they first got their own gun when they were 17, compared with an average age of 26 for women who grew up with guns in their household. For a different perspective, CBS conducted a telephone survey and ranked the states by guns per capita. CBS News staff. Other proxies, some of which have been used in combination with firearm suicides, include per capita measures of hunting licenses, firearm background checks, and even subscriptions to Guns & Ammo magazine. Republicans are twice as likely to own a gun than Democrats, and Southern households are more likely to own firearms (36%) than other regions of the U.S. A 2017 survey by the Pew Research Center reveals some more interesting stats about guns in the U.S. Handguns are the most common choice of firearm among gun owners, especially those who only own one weapon. Are you interested in testing our corporate solutions? 1. Karp, Aaron. By contrast, older Americans who grew up in a gun-owning household are far more likely than younger adults who grew up with guns to point to hunting as a reason guns were present in their household. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. Gun owners are far more likely than non-gun owners to say people in their community look at most gun owners in a positive way; 78% of gun owners say this is the case, compared with 53% of non-gun owners. There were 77 firearms murders in DC in 2010, down 22% on 2009. Guns are in the households of an estimated 30.2% of Maryland adults. The study shows that the states with highest gun . Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/249740/percentage-of-households-in-the-united-states-owning-a-firearm/, Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2022, Available to download in PNG, PDF, XLS format, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2022, by gender, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2021, by ethnicity, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2021, by education level, Gun ownership U.S. 2022, by party affiliation, U.S. number of firearms manufactured 1986-2021, Number of total firearms manufactured U.S. 2021, by firearm category, Economic impact of U.S. sporting arms and ammunition industry 2020, Number of exported firearms U.S.1986-2021, U.S. number of exported firearms manufactured 2021, by firearm category, Number of imported firearms U.S. 1986-2020, Number of imported firearms U.S. 2020, by firearm category, NICS background checks performed in the U.S. 1998-2021, Number of homicides by firearm in the U.S. 2006-2021, Homicides by firearm in the U.S. 2006-2020, Homicide by firearm rate in the U.S. 2006-2020, Murders involving firearms in the U.S. 2020, by state, Number of firearm deaths U.S. 2019, by gender, U.S. public opinion on the strictness of laws covering firearms sale 1990-2022, Support for stricter gun control laws U.S. 2022, by party, Support for protecting or limiting gun ownership rights U.S. 2022, by party, U.S. public opinion on a law that bans private handgun possession 1990-2022, Support for banning assault-style weapons in the U.S. 2022, by party, Support for banning high-capacity ammunition magazines U.S. 2022, by party, Percentage of U.S. population who know gun violence victims, as of 2013, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2012, by ethnicity, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2012, by education, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2017, by region, United States: presence of a firearm at home 2022, Gun ownership in the U.S. 2014, by gender, U.S. public opinion on safety gains through more concealed weapons 2015, U.S. public opinion on background checks for all gun purchases 2015, How many Americans agree with concealed carry, by gender 2018, Number of registered firearms in South Korea 2007-2016, U.S. public opinion on people in neighborhood watch programs carrying guns 2012, U.S. public opinion on the "stand your ground laws" in March 2012, Firearm ownership rate, by household income U.S. 2014, Satisfaction with gun policy in the US 2014, Latin America & Caribbean: number of armed civilians by country 2017, Firearm ownership rate, by proximity to urban centers U.S. 2017, Find your information in our database containing over 20,000 reports, large number of deaths due to firearms in the country. The RAND report found that 45.8% of adults in North Carolina have guns in their homes. These states also have some of the lowest gun ownership overall, with only 14.8% of Rhode Island residents owning a gun and only 19.9% of New York residents owning a gun. Wed love the chance to answer any questions you may have in the comments below, and, as always, please share! Among adults who have never personally owned a gun, seven-in-ten of those who grew up with guns in their household say they have fired a gun at some point, compared with 47% of those who didnt grow up in a gun-owning household. The Midwest and West each have gun ownership levels that exceed 30%, while the Northeast has the lowest number of gun owners at about 16%. It collected responses online, where people may be more willing to share sensitive information than they would be over the phone or in person. America's Complex Relationship With Guns. But women are quickly gaining ground in this department. Register in seconds and access exclusive features. Reasons for having had guns in the household growing up vary considerably across community type. In Missouri, 48.8% of adults have guns at home. "What Is Gun Ownership Like State by State." In contrast, seven-in-ten of those who grew up in a gun-owning household in a city say there were guns in their household for protection; about half cite hunting (51%) or sport shooting (50%) as reasons there were guns in their household growing up. Opinions are more mixed among gun owners themselves: 54% say society tends to have a negative view and 45% say it has a positive view of most gun owners. First, they used a small-area estimation technique to create state-level ownership estimates for each of 51 nationally representative surveys . After taking the man into custody, police later confirmed the rifle was a replica Airsoft weapon. Wyoming has "more guns per capita than any state"-yet they have a gun-related murder rate that is below the national average. For people between the ages of 30 and 49, 28% own a firearm. Estimating Global Civilian-Held Firearms Numbers. This map presents the average proportion of adults living in a household with a firearm, between 2007 and 2016. Take a look at the following tables that provides a look at legal gun ownership percentages throughout the United States: Gun ownership in America has a long and illustrious history. Heather McCracken (Content), Haley Okuley (Design), and Lee Floyd (Development), State Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership, What Science Tells Us About the Effects of Gun Policies, In Search of Common Ground: Expert Judgments on Gun Policy Effects, New Approaches to Understanding the Effects of Gun Policies, Additions and Updates to the Gun Policy in America Initiative, Prohibitions Associated with Domestic Violence, Prohibitions Associated with Mental Illness, Surrender of Firearms by Prohibited Possessors, Bans on the Sale of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines, Firearm Sales Reporting, Recording, and Registration Requirements, Lost or Stolen Firearm Reporting Requirements, Laws Allowing Armed Staff in K-12 Schools, Explore all gun policies and outcomes from our research review, Firearm Injury Hospitalizations in America, Inpatient Hospitalizations for Firearm Injury, State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership, The Effects of the 1996 National Firearms Agreement in Australia on Suicide, Homicide, and Mass Shootings, The Relationship Between Firearm Availability and Suicide, The Relationship Between Firearm Prevalence and Violent Crime, Education Campaigns and Clinical Interventions for Promoting Safe Storage, Gun Buyback Programs in the United States. For people between the ages of 30 and 49, 28% own a firearm. Moore is right that Canada has a far lower rate of firearm homicides than its . A closer analysis of this demographic data reveals that about 46% of rural households own guns, while just 19% of urban households do. A majority of Americans say that society tends to have a negative view of gun owners, a perception that is somewhat more common among non-gun owners than among those who own a gun. Datatable showing data for the United States Map figure. Find out with our income calculator, Indias Sex Ratio at Birth Begins To Normalize. A marcher wears a pistol on his hip during a "Unite the Right" demonstration in Charlottesville. About four-in-ten who grew up in a gun-owning household say they currently own a gun (42%), compared with 19% of those who didnt grow up with guns in their household. Overall, 45% of American men and 40% of American women live in a household with a gun. Dr. Shandrea Boyd shoots at the Eagle Sports gun range during a concealed-carry certification test in Oak Forest. This definitely changes past demographic polls, and rather drastically in some cases. And many who dont currently own a gun, including those who have never owned one, may be open to doing so in the future. The owner of Ready Gunman in Springville stands behind the counter at his shop. In, Gallup. According to the Pew Research Center, the southern United States has the highest amount of gun owners, with about 36% of residents living in this region owning a gun. TheGuardian.com, 3 October 2017. In rural areas, gun owners are somewhat more likely than those who dont own guns to say people in their community look at gun owners in a positive way, but majorities of both groups offer this assessment (85% and 74%, respectively). Murder victims by weapon used in the U.S 2021, Mass shootings in the U.S.: legality of shooter's weapons, as of November 2022, Number of registered weapons U.S. 2021, by state, Worst mass shootings in the U.S., as of May 2022. Here, cut-up firearms are piled on the ground at the Falmouth Police Department in 2021. Source: RAND Corporation . Although adjusted for differences in age-distribution and population size, rankings by state do not take into account other state specific population . In fact, 52% of all non-gun owners and 71% of those who have owned a gun in the past say they could see themselves owning a gun in the future. An average from 2004 to 2011 actually has a insignificantly higher 42% of Americans living in a household with a gun. Furthermore, the percentage of people who live in gun houses according to . In many ways, these differences mirror the patterns in gun ownership. You can find those results here. Even a study done by the Center for Disease Control in 2012 concluded that as many as 3 million violent crimes may be thwarted each year due to gun ownership. (KOTA) -Until 2020, an average of about 13.5 million guns were sold in the United States however, this increased three years ago to 22 . Still, protection tops the list, with 67% of current gun owners saying this is a major reason they personally own a gun. For example, New Jersey requires guns to be registered, requires a permit to purchase, a permit to carry, and does not allow open carry. Registration.Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. NOTE: Small Arms Survey calculates guns per . Like the gender gap, the education gap in gun ownership is particularly pronounced among whites. One-in-ten men who didnt grow up with guns in their household say they went hunting often or sometimes, compared with 5% of women. In fact, in 2020 alone, it is estimated that 5 million Americans became first-time gun owners. What Is Gun Ownership Like State by State. Household Gun Ownership By State, 2012-2016. Various state laws surrounding registration and permits also drive these statistics, since states throughout the South, Midwest, and West have more relaxed laws overall in reference to the steps required for registration and carrying when compared to many Northern states. to incorporate the statistic into your presentation at any time. An estimated 47.3% of Nevada adults have guns in their homes. The state with the highest per capita gun death rate in 2020 was Mississippi, followed by Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, Missouri, and Alabama. The majority of gun owners are 50 years of age or older, and make up over 60% of demographics, with the next group falling between 30 and 49 years of age. Thirty-three percent of Americans aged 50 and older own at least one gun. According to the data, the US has 120.5 guns per 100 residents in 2017 meaning more guns than people. Of the 393 million firearms in the U.S., only 6.06 million of them are registered. White, Deborah. The co-owners of Thunder Beast Arms Corp. prepare to shoot high-powered rifles at a range west of Cheyenne. That's 62,527 registered firearms dispersed among 6,626,624 people. Alaska has the highest rate of gun ownership in the U.S., with nearly 62 percent of adults owning a gun. With 66.3% of adults living in homes with guns, Montana is the highest-ranking state in the RAND study. Among whites, about four-in-ten of those with a high school diploma or less (40%) or with some college (42%) are gun owners, compared with roughly a quarter of white college graduates (26%). Most U.S. firearms go unregistered, so numbers are hard to come by. Number of registered weapons in the U.S. in 2019, by state. This is a decline of about 17 percentage points from the peak ownership years in 1977-1980. There are an estimated 300 million guns in the U.S. Alaska has the highest per capita firepower with nearly 62 percent of its populace having guns.Other states with the high gun ownership rates include Arkansas (57.9 percent) and West Virginia (54.2) in the south and Idaho (56.9) in the west. This police photo shows guns and ammunition found at the scene of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtownin 2012. Gun ownership varies considerably across demographic groups. Regardless of the type of community they lived in growing up, adults who grew up with guns in their households are far more likely than those who did not to be gun owners themselves. In fact, eight-in-ten say they have more than one reason for owning, and 44% have more than one major reason. As part of the Gun Policy in America initiative, RAND researchers developed annual, state-level estimates of household firearm ownership by combining data from surveys and administrative sources. How it works: Hover over or tap on a line on the chart to identify the state and year shown. Men who grew up in a gun-owning household are also more likely than women who grew up with guns in their homes to say they went shooting or to a gun range growing up, though relatively few men or women say they did this often (13% and 7%, respectively). For the purpose of this article, were focusing on the total percentage of gun ownership in relation to the states population. In the wake of the most recent U.S. mass school shooting in Uvalde, Texas, where 19 pupils and two teachers were killed by an 18-year-old with an . About two-thirds of current gun owners (67%) say there were guns in their household growing up, and 76% report that they first fired a gun before they were 18. ^ Germany. Two-thirds of gun owners say they own more than one gun, including 29% who own five or more guns. The South is the region with the most guns (about 36%), followed by the Midwest and West (32% and 31%, respectively) and the Northeast (16%). Some states require registration upon purchase, but for the most part, gun ownership, per capita is an estimate based upon overall gun sales and independent polls. Gun violence in the United States by state - Wikipedia Gun violence in the United States by state This article is a list of the U.S. states, with population, murders and non-negligent manslaughter, murders, gun murders, and gun ownership percentage, then calculated rates per 100,000. There are also significant differences across parties, with Republican and Republican-leaning independents more than twice as likely as Democrats and those who lean Democratic to say they own a gun (44% vs. 20%). Of Wyoming's 581,075 people, there are 132,806 registered guns. As for the gun-owning majority, Steward said, "The low end's . In addition to Wyoming, several other small states are near the top of the list when it comes to per capita gun sales. One of the many reasons why there are more guns in the United States than there are people, is our Constitutions 2nd Amendment that reads, A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.. Parker, Kim, et al. Despite the individual states abilities to create laws surrounding how an individual may purchase, carry, and use their weapon- legally obtained firearm ownership is safe from persecution. White, Deborah. These once-illegally-owned guns were seized by the New York Police Department in 2013. Because demographic information is not collected upon time of purchase, it may take a few years to have a clear picture of firearm ownership. She is a three-time delegate to the California Democratic Party and a former federal elections official. Makenzie Wynn poses with a Black Rain Ordnance rifle at an NRA event in Atlanta, as herfather snaps a photo. Just 20% of women say they used airsoft guns at least sometimes when they were growing up. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/gun-owners-percentage-of-state-populations-3325153. Gun Ownership By Gender 39% of men own a firearm, while 22% of women say the same. Gun ownership is more common among men than women, and white men are particularly likely to be gun owners. What Is The Difference Between Blowback Vs Recoil? The four other states with the highest number of guns per capita (guns per 1,000 people) are: New Hampshire (47), New Mexico (46), Virginia (36), and Alabama (33). In Michigan, 40.2% of adults have at least one gun at home. In 2005, women only made up 13% of gun ownership, but by. Whether they have or have not personally owned a gun, the average age at which those who grew up with guns in the household say they first fired a gun is 14 years, compared with 20 years among those who didnt grow up in a gun-owning household. Access to this and all other statistics on 80,000 topics from, Show sources information The most salient reason behind firearm ownership is the prevalence of "gun culture," or the acceptance of firearms by friends, family, and . In Ohio, 40% of adults have at least one firearm at home. The US Constitutional Amendments are a living document created by American forefathers to protect US citizens from government overreach. That's due in large part to lack of national standards for licensing and registering firearms, which is left to the states and their varying degrees of regulation. California, the nation's largest state, ranks third by the sheer number of estimated gun sales (about 1.2 million), while Texas and Florida, two other huge-population states, are in the top three, both with estimated sales over 1.6 million. Table 1 (left side) shows that the 31.0% of households reported having a firearm in 2014, essentially tying with 2010 for the lowest level of gun ownership in the last 40-some years. Its population of 731,545 people has 23,455 registered guns. Around 57.2% of Arkansans say they have guns in their homes. On the other side of the scale, we have the states with the lowest percentage of gun owners. Worldwide study: fewer guns mean fewer gun deaths. . Here are the 10 states with the highest numbers of guns: What Is Gun Ownership Like State by State. For more information about how the estimates were developed, or to download the database, see State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership. 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