A recent report by Ammo.com revealed that gun ownership in America increased 28% from 1994 to 2023, amid an increase in gun control legislation in many states. The report is notable, as it represents the most recent data using 2024 statistics.
Report highlights:
- Gun ownership in America increased 28% from 1994 to 2023.
- Based on NICS background data and manufacturing records, it is estimated that there are 393 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S.
- Only 6.06 million firearms are registered in America (NFA registrations and states with permits to purchase)
- Estimates show that 82,880,000 people own at least one firearm in 2023.
- 43% of households have at least one firearm in 2023.
- Women’s firearm ownership has increased by 177.8% since 1993.
- Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic of gun owners, with a 33% increase in ownership between 2017 and 2023.
- Gun ownership declined by 22% in the 18-29 age group between 2017 and 2023.
- 1 out of 20 adults in the U.S. purchased a firearm for the first time during the pandemic.
Other research confirms that one of the primary motivators of gun ownership is self-defense. An analysis by The Trace found that one-fifth of households purchased guns during the pandemic years between 2020 and 2022. Approximately 60 million guns were purchased during that time.
The Hill reported, “It’s a totally different type of gun ownership now,” said John Roman, a senior fellow in the Economics, Justice and Society Group at NORC, a research organization based at the University of Chicago.
“It’s not a rifle stored away somewhere that you take out twice a year to go hunting. It’s a handgun, probably a semiautomatic handgun, that you keep in your bedside table or in your glove compartment, or that you maybe carry around with you.”
Self-Defense is a Human Right
Based on data from the Pew Research Center, the Bureau of Justice Statistics reported in April, 2024 that the most common types of violent crime in 2022 were Aggravated Assault, Robbery, Rape, and Murder/Nonnegligent Manslaughter—crimes that directly impact individuals. The FBI reported that violent crime declined to 380.7 violent crimes per 100,000 people in 2022 from 1993 from 747.1. We note that the FBI statistics involve only reported crimes, while the BJS numbers count the number of incidents reported or not.
Chances are if you find yourself in an encounter that forces you to defend your life with deadly force, you are going to have to be your own first responder.
Unfortunately, not everyone agrees that you should have the right to self-defense, leaving you exposed to criminal charges from ideological prosecutors or civil suits from the family of your attacker.
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