There are more gun owners now than ever before. It’s not just my opinion, it’s a matter of scientific fact. This article is going to discuss some excellent research on gun owners including: demographics, how they use them, how often they carry, as well as much more.
We are going to cover a wide swath of gun research, and polling data from actual gun owners on their habits and use, as well as their demographic data. All primary sources will be linked in the article, so you can follow any topic you like in more detail.
Statistically speaking, the prototypical gun owner is a middle aged white male, earning between $30,000-$70,000, with at least one child. They are most likely conservative, and are more likely to live in the Midwest or South.
After reading a lot of research, it seems that statistically this is still true, but it is becoming less true by the year. Studies on gun ownership estimate that there are approximately one million new gun owners each year, and these folks are generally young, suburban, and less likely to hold conservative views. Let’s discuss the demographics of gun ownership in a little more detail.
U.S. Gun Owner Demographics
- There are approximately 98,460,000 gun owners in the US (source)
- 30% of U.S. adults say they personally own a gun, while a larger percentage, 43%, report living in a gun household. (source)
- Education: 27% High School, 34% Some College, 33% College Grad, 23% Advanced Degree (source)
- Location: 19% live in urban areas, 28% live in suburban areas, 46% live in rural areas (source)
- Race and Ethnicity: 48% of white men own a gun, 24% of white women own a gun, 24% of non white men own guns, 16% non white women own guns (source)
- Politics: 41% of gun owners are Republicans, 16% of gun owners are Democrats, 36% of gun owners are independents
- Women (17%), Democrats (16%) and Hispanics (15%) are the least likely to report personal gun ownership. (source)
- Republicans (45%), men (43%) and self-identified conservatives (40%) are the most likely key subgroups to say they personally own a gun. (source)
- Male gun owners first started shooting at age 12 on average (source)
- Female gun owners first shot a gun at age 17 on average (source)
- Average age of gun ownership for males is 19, females 27 (source)
There is quite a lot of information to unpack here. We can see that many of our previously held beliefs about white men, living in rural areas being common gun owners are still true, but I think it’s worth mentioning that white women, and people of color make up about half of all gun owners.
I also think it is interesting that gun owners represent a broad swath in terms of education and political beliefs. Sure, there are some high school grads who identify as Republican, but there are also tons of folks with advanced degrees who are independents, and everything in between.
We have to keep in mind that one in three US citizens is a gun owner, so any attempt to stereotype such a large group is doomed to fail. Next we are going to discuss the types of firearms they own.
Types of Gun Ownership In the US
- 66% of gun owners own more than one gun (source)
- 32% of gun owners own only one gun (source)
- 37% of gun owners own 2-4 firearms (source)
- 29% of gun owners own 5+ firearms (source)
- Gun Ownership by Type: 72% of gun owners own a pistol, 62% own a rifle, 54% own a shotgun (source)
- 40% of gun owners say they always have a loaded gun close at hand in their house (source)
We can see from these gun ownership stats, that there is a sizable population of gun owners who only own one firearm. These owners most often have this weapon for self defense, as we will see further on in the article.
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We can also see that, just like Pringles, once you pop you just can’t stop. Many gun owners own more than one firearm, and they go on to accumulate more than five firearms. Now that we know a little about the types of owners, and how many guns they own, let’s talk about their attitudes and reasons for owning firearms.
Gun Owner Attitudes and Reasons for Ownership
- 67% percent of gun owners cite protection as the primary reason for owning (source)
- 38% cite hunting as the primary reason for owning (source)
- 30% cite sporting as the primary reason for owning (source)
- 13% cite gun collecting as the primary reason for ownership (source)
- 8% of gun owners own a weapon for job related reasons (source)
- 19% of gun owners belong NRA (source)
- 10% of gun owners are new gun owners as of July 2018 (source)
- 36% of American who don’t currently own a gun have considered purchasing one (source)
- 33% of American say they will never own gun (source)
- 52% of American say there should be stricter gun laws (source)
- 29% of gun owners say gun laws should be more strict (source)
- 62% of non gun owners want stricter laws (source)
After doing the research for this article, it seems that gun owners tend to cite personal protection as the primary reason for owning a gun. This is perfectly reasonable, but it is interesting, as violent crime rates have been going down steadily since the 1990’s. I don’t discourage people from being prepared, but I do wonder what has caused this change.
I found it interesting that roughly a third of Americans say they will never own a firearm, and almost the same amount of gun owners say that gun laws need to be more strict. I would not expect that many would answer those questions that way. Now let’s talk about gun owners use, and carry habits.
Concealed Carry, Open Carry, and Gun Use
- Approximately 9 million US adult handgun owners carry loaded handguns monthly, 3 million do so every day (source)
- 10% of gun owners carry all the time (source)
- 15% of gun owners say they carry some of the time (source)
- 31% of gun owners carry occasionally (source)
- 43% of gun owners never carry (source)
- The proportion of handgun owners who carried concealed loaded handguns in the past 30 days was 21% in unrestricted states, 25% in shall issue—no discretion states, 20% in shall issue—limited discretion states, 9% in may-issue states (source)
- 58% of men say they go to the gun range to practice (source)
- 43% of women say they go to the gun range (source)
- 28% of female gun owners hunt (source)
- 37% of male gun owners hunt (source)
- 70% of gun owners have taken gun safety course (source)
I’ve always suspected that the number of gun owners who regularly carried was quiet low, but I wouldn’t have thought it was as low as 10%. Nearly half of gun owners say they never carry a firearm.
If we examine the concealed carry bullet point, we see that as state permitting becomes less and less available, that concealed carry does in fact go down. In may-issue states, such as California, it is less than 10% of gun owners.
The biggest thing that stands out to me is how few gun owners actually go to the range and practice. Now, I recognize that some folks have property to shoot on, and don’t need to go to the range, but I would imagine that’s a small minority.
I am surprised 70% of gun owners have taken a safety course, but I imagine that is a state requirement, either to get a hunting license, or to obtain a concealed weapons permit. I think, as gun owners, we can all do better in seeking out training, and maintaining our proficiency. Especially if we cite protection as our reason for carrying. The last thing we are going to talk about is attitudes towards, and about gun owners.
Attitudes Towards and About Gun Owners in the US
- 72% of Americans say they have fired a gun (source)
- 60% of Americans say people in their community have positive a attitude towards gun owners (source)
- 79% of rural gun owners report positive views (source)
- 44% of Americans say they know someone who has been shot on purpose or accident (source)
- 23% of Americans, both gun owners and not, say that someone in their family has been threatened by guns (source)
- 7% of American say they have used a gun (brandish or shoot) to defend selves (source)
I think attitudes towards and about gun ownership is one of the biggest factors that influence gun legislation. I think there is a vast misunderstanding on both sides. It’s obvious from these stats that gun ownership is viewed more favorably in rural areas, where it is more common. In urban areas gun ownership is often associated with criminality, as a result of personal experiences by many.
If almost a quarter of Americans say a family member has been threatened with gun violence, it makes sense that a person might view them unfavorably.
Final Thoughts
This has been a dense article to get through, but I think there are some real nuggets of information that we need to highlight. First, gun owner demographics are becoming more and more diverse, and we are seeing huge increases in new gun owners.
We as a community need to continue to help one another out and ensure that we are receiving the proper training. Too often, I talk to folks that bought a gun for protection and they leave it locked up in a closet like a magical talisman to ward off evil. Obviously, this won’t work. We need training to use these tools effectively and lawfully. I’d encourage you to read this article that discusses how judges view the legality of most citizen firearms uses. Spoiler alert, most citizen firearm uses aren’t lawful.
I’ll leave you with this quote from the venerable Colonel Jeff Cooper, the father of modern combat shooting, “Owning a handgun doesn’t make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician.” Get out there and get some training!
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Nice work putting this all together. Thank you.
Thanks much!
Why use Pew Research sources. They are decidedly anti-gun.
Read their article. It is not anti gun.
and what is your source for that?
Nice little stat sheet but stats can be skewed to any direction the make-up artist wants to go. I don’t know how you get a count & numbers that are accurate to any measure. When or if I buy any guns I don’t need a background check with my CCW, I have never told anyone my true count of weapons which are many. I can say that I have at least 1 loaded gun in each room of my home. The only stats that really matters are what the laws are that are passing in congress & in each state as they whittle away our rights as each day goes by, this kung flu is a good example of that. When they outlaw my guns then I’ll be part of the other group…..The criminals!!
These were mostly self reported survey responses for several thousand gun owners during each survey.
Great remark!
I doubt the constitutionally corrupt censors will allow my remarks to be posted, because I am A Constitutionalist and therefore a primary target of the criminals of humanity, but I am in total support of what you have said here!
We are the many, and they are the few!
M
Statists can be valuable indicators, but we must all remember that in any honorable statistics course it is disclosed that; “You can prove ANYTHING with statistics!”. Therefore we must never materially rely upon statistical analysis. While I would agree that in general these statistics are consistent with my work of 50+ years, it would be a tragic error to assume anything from them. Years ago this type of statistical analysis would have been more valid than it is today however. Within the past 20 years more & more Americans have been able to see through the lying façade of “gun control” for what it always has been (gun confiscation and the goal of removing Americans 2nd Amendment protection). As more people become aware of the real gun confiscation agenda, that has been made increasingly more clear by the government & politicians themselves, these Americans are far less likely to honestly discus their gun ownership and of course their feelings of the same! The majority of Americans know that they can not trust government or big business with their lives, they know that owning a gun makes them a target for unconstitutional attacks upon their person & freedoms, and they also are well aware that the US government has been engaged in an illegal epic spying, data collection, and surveillance effort for more than 10 years. These same Americans know that they are in compliance with the laws of today, but they also know that any data that is collected on them today can easily be used against them tomorrow or at some time in the future! The direct consequence of the invasive & oppressive big government that monitors & records Americans communications, which we should all now know is being done, has been & will be extremely chilling on the Americans willingness to honestly discus their gun ownership! In fact, many Americans will intentionally deceive/lie about their gun ownership now, more than at any other time in history! Therefore, these types of general statistical collections are and will become less & less accurate, especially as Americans see no change in the agenda of the government that always thirsts for the power that they must steal from Americans to achieve their unconstitutional agenda/s. At one time I would openly honestly discuss my gun ownership with anyone in a good faith effort to make the country safe for those who should learn how to properly handle guns, but these days I would NEVER openly discuss my gun ownership with anyone because I would never know just how that information can or would be used against me & my family at this most dangerous time in American history! As the government and big business continue to make their bad faith efforts against the 2nd Amendment more & more clear, the common sense result will be for Americans to be less honest about their gun ownership and views of the same. Unfortunately, the time has passed for honest communications in America on a great many subjects, because of the chilling effect created by the government, with the ever encroaching dictatorial state that has gone mad with power & criminally unconstitutional efforts to destroy Americans rights & freedoms! Our once great open society that was based upon trust in government, has ceased to exist for the majority of Americans who are well aware of the hazards of open communications today and going forward. Once lost, trust in government never returns to a country and “The Great Experiment” has died at the hands of the sneaky, underhanded, illegal actions of government and those who control it!
Outstanding, well referenced work. Thank you very much.
Thanks for the kind words.
Excellent summary. No survey is perfect but the Pew study you discovered does a lot of things well and asked some very interesting questions that prior surveys had not.
Thanks David!
Jake, Thank you for a well written and well researched article. I agree that stats can be manipulated, but this looks fairly accurate across the gun owners that I personally know. More importantly, as an NRA Instructor, there are some great talking points in there to counter some of the anti-gun rhetoric. Thanks for the reload of fresh ammunition.
Thanks for the kind words Ross.
November 2020
GUN CONTROL
I want to share some information with all that will listen. Our freedom is on the edge of being lost. GUN CONTROL IS TIED DIRECTLY TO GLOBALIZATION. It has nothing to do with mass shootings. History is very dependable when you want to know what happens next. This information came from different sources, some from Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. (JPFO) website. Some alarming history cannot be ignored.
Ottoman-Turkey
1866 Penn code of 1866 and 1911 Permits required with Government list of owners.
1911 and 1915 proclamations: Ban on possession
1915-1917 1.6 million native Armenian civilians killed by their Government.
Soviet Union
1918-1926 Resolutions: Licensing of owners; Ban on possession; severe penalties.
1929-1945 20 million Native farmers killed by their Government.
Germany
1928 Laws on firearms and ammunition. Registration of owners.
1938 Stricter handgun laws, severe penalties, ban on possession.
1933-1945 20 million Jews, Gypsies, political rivals, and farmers killed by their Government.
China
1914 Government permit required to own gun.
1935 Ban on possession
1927-1949 10 million Political opponents, military opponents killed by their Government.
Red China
1951 Death for counter revolutionaries, death to all who oppose social programs. (WELFARE)
1957 Death to all who supply guns to such.
1950-1976 30 million Rural opponents. (Farmers) and enemies of the state killed by the Bank.
Guatemala
1932 Registration of gun owners
1947 laws to prohibit the carry of guns.
1964 weapons ban and confiscation of Guns and sharp tools.
1960-1981 200,000 Mayans, other natives, and political enemies killed by the Bank.
Uganda
1955 Register all guns and owners, license for transactions.
1970 Search without warrants, confiscation
1971-1979 Over 300,000 Christians killed by the Bank.
Cambodia
1938 License required for guns, owners, transactions.
Photo ID and fingerprint, License inspected quarterly.
1975-1978 2 million Educated persons, and political opponents killed by the Bank.
Rwanda
1979 Decree; Register guns, owners, ammunition. Owners must justify need. Concealable guns illegal. Confiscation
1994 800,000 Tutsi civilians’ natives killed by the Bank.
England
1988 Firearms amendment act. Ban on handguns, semi-auto rifles, and shotguns that hold more than 3 rounds. Waiting on annihilation when we give up our guns.
New Zealand
1990 ban on military and semi-auto firearms
2019 ban on semi-auto firearms, magazines, and parts. Waiting for annihilation when we give up our guns.
1996 United Kingdom except Northern Ireland, two laws passed outlawing private ownership of handguns in Great Britain.
1996 Australia
Firearms act of 1996 banned all semi-auto and pump action rifles and shotguns.
2002 National handgun control act. Mandatory buyback of certain handguns and magazines holding 10 or more rounds.
2017 National firearms amnesty. 51,000 firearms surrendered and destroyed. University of Melbourne University study shows sharp increase in firearm crimes.
“When government takes away citizens’ right to bear arm it becomes citizens’ duty to take away government’s right to govern.” -George Washington
We are in trouble. I see so much that needs attention. It is hard to separate things and come up with ways to fix the problems. We have time to fix this if we can keep our guns and sit and talk about it. Every little restriction must be refused. If we ever turn in that direction, it will not stop, as you can see from the past. Our founders knew this would happen and left us tools to fix it. People need to sit down, pray, and think about what needs to be done. The second Amendment was not given to us for squirrel hunting. It surely is to protect us from our Government! Please take this seriously. We are one school shooting away from the fight of our lives and those in the establishment will not hesitate to give us another one. Law enforcement needs to deal with these shooting tragedies. The DOJ needs to find out what happens to 800,000 school age and younger kids that go missing each year. That is 2,000 kids per day that disappear. Where are they going? The globalist Billionaires know where they are going. You think Epstein hung himself? He was silenced. It is obvious that no Government can be trusted. Ours is no different. They may be the worst in history. We as taxpayers have funded the worlds gun control through The International Monetary Fund and the Federal Reserve (World Bank) We fund the whole world through each country’s government. For now, learn to think for yourself. Do not trust me or anyone else. Do your own research. Some things you can research that will give you the most for your effort are listed below. A little something to know is that Google is doing business with those who control the money. Think not? Just try a google search for alternative cancer treatment, Or the Federal reserve, or Joseph Mengele and mind control. George Soros and those who really make the big decisions in this world. Mind control, sex trafficking, Pedophilia, CIA drugs and gun running. Illegal drugs would not be a problem if the price of legal drugs were not the engine of supply and demand. The United Nations are the leaders of everything wrong in this world. Piece keepers. Defund the police and race wars in our country are planned and funded by the UN. They want Biden to ask for help. The boarder crisis is part of the swamps plan to see us as a country that needs policing. Shoot the first one you see. They were blue helmets and drive white hummers. This is the only nation they do not have a death grip on. They are working hard to get this done. Look for more trouble ahead.
1- Research the federal reserve. And International monetary fund.
2- Research foreign aid. For every dollar given to a poor country it costs them $8.00 in natural resources. Check me! And there is debt forgiveness. They are forgiven the dollar and only pay 70% interest.
3- Research the 2008 Bank Bailouts, and inflation killing our dollar.
4- Find Brice Taylor’s book “Thanks for the Memories.”
5- Cathy O’Brien was a mind controlled presidential sex slave for 30 years and did not know it. She has written 2 informative books about mind control, the CIA, and our Court system. “Trance” and “Access Denied”. Plans have been in the making for a long time for us to be Global Citizens. Our guns are the only ones left. If they take them, it is game over! The rest of the world is being protected by them. The people of every other country are completely defenseless. We are the last check on Global government. Let them take our guns and they will kill us. You can look at The Death Map by researching “Agenda 21”. You need to understand Agenda 21. Also buy the book “The Creature from Jekyll Island” Just read the summary of every chapter. The highest courts in the land have absolutely no authority to change the Constitution or Bill of Rights. Neither does our President or Congress.
Over and over the founders warned the documents must be interpreted using terms and words that were meaningful at the time of writing. (Ever hear someone called pitiful because of their needs or health? When the bible was penned, it said God is pitiful. It meant he was full of pity, not in need of something.) Such twisting of words and meanings cannot alter your rights. We have the right to own the weapons of our choice. It is our Federal Government and our court system the founders were protecting us from, and it is time for us to stand and be counted. We as States, have authority over the Federal Government. It is the creature of individual States. Not even the Federal Government can rule its creators. As free States we put it together. As free States we can take it apart. We will not watch our creation be destroyed by foreign Bankers. We have our rifles and one objective. Freedom for everyone. If it sounds like I am considering the Government left an enemy of freedom. What else can I think? We will defend the Constitution. Our Government was built to function with its people having the spirit of resistance. A strong show of Independence and patriotism. Be very resistant. Taking our guns has only one objective. It will be the loss of everything for everyone on this planet. The goal is to overpower and force us into communism. That comes a step at a time, and we have already taken too many. Communism means we all have the same thing, Nothing! No private property. No opportunity to work hard and get ahead. Just wait for our allotment like cattle. We know our enemy. It is suicide to be passive now as the World Bank and corrupt Government have dismantled every other country, who now have no hope of freedom. The UN piece keepers rape women and children and kill the men everywhere they go. They behead Christians. The Jews were not ready for what is looking us in the face. It was too easy for them to hide while those around them were disarmed and taken one house or community at a time. Just a few men could overpower us, one at a time. We all must defend our neighbor as our own family. If we stand quietly by while the Establishment puppets disassemble us, our guns and individual rights are gone. Citizens of other countries would love to go back to a time when they had the opportunity to resist. They were graded and killed like dogs. At one time most of them were armed, owned property, and farmed, but they were not organized. and they lacked that spirit of resistance.
In a letter from Jefferson to Madison December 20,1787, Jefferson stated, “What country can preserve it’s liberties if their rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance. Let them take arms.” It is our patriotic responsibility to protect each other’s freedom. Being a patriot is not always popular. Some of us may have to give all to maintain liberties, as this is the last place on earth they exist. We will stand like men and preserve what God has given us. Our leaders for the most part have wicked intentions and do not want to deal with any resistance. Without the tools of war, there would be no resistance. Being disarmed has always had a psychological effect on the value of life. You surely have seen holocaust films showing grown men who had been separated from their farms and families, walking up to the huge furnaces without an argument. They knew where they were going. They had watched it happen day after day. If they could try again to live free with their loved ones before they were disarmed and starved to death, I know they would fight and fight desperately. The Nazis’ killed so many, and wasting so much ammunition, they started soaking the peasants with water hoses and left them to freeze to death. Today, the Federal Government and The World Bank would do the exact same thing to us if they could. I think we should take a stand and show what has made America different. We must save our Republic from its enemies. There is nothing wrong with taking up arms to defend innocent lives. They want us dead, but no government is a threat to armed citizens. Who do you think gave George Washington’s army permission to kill the British soldiers sent to shut down our little free country? He was a praying man! You know who!
They killed to protect the freedom we enjoy today!
We Best Be Waking Up!