Demographics of Gun Ownership by Race
- The highest gun ownership rates in the US are among White Americans (38%) and the lowest are among Asian Americans (10%).
- Among Americans who do not own guns, Blacks (56%) are most likely to say they could see themselves owning one in the future (vs. 48% White, 40% Hispanic, and 38% Asian).
- The latest data from Pew Research shows Black Americans’ ownership rates as the least changed of all groups compared to a 2021 National Firearms Survey.
Opinions on Gun Ownership and Safety by Race
- White Americans (79%) are more likely to agree that gun ownership makes them safer, compared to Blacks (60%) and Hispanics (60%).
- Black gun owners (28%) are less likely to agree than White gun owners (48%) that they would “feel safer if more people could legally carry guns.”
- More than 90% of gun buyers in 2020 cited protection from others as the primary motivation for buying a gun.
Gun Control and Policies by Race
- 78% of White gun owners vs. 65% of Blacks support gun possession prohibition for serious juvenile crimes.
- 79% of White gun owners vs. 59% of Blacks support gun possession prohibition for displaying a gun in a threatening manner.
- 56% of White gun owners vs. 45% of Blacks support gun possession prohibition for assault and battery not resulting in a serious injury.
- Support is generally lower among Black gun owners than White ones for policies that extend gun ownership prohibitions.
- More Black gun owners than Whites support minimum age requirements for gun ownership.
- More Black gun owners than Whites support assault weapon restrictions and ammunition-related restrictions.
- More Hispanic gun owners support safe storage policies than White gun owners.
- Support is higher among pandemic-era gun buyers (76%) than prior gun owners (63%) for a policy requiring a permit to purchase guns.
- People who were motivated to buy guns due to racial or political violence are more likely to support a stand-your-ground policy in self-defense.
Trends in Gun Ownership
- The 2023 National Survey of Gun Policy noted that a bigger share of recent first-time gun buyers were Black, Asian, or Hispanic instead of White.
- Reported personal gun ownership is still highest in rural areas (47% vs 30% for suburban and 20% for urban), which may also intersect with racial residential patterns.
- Female gun ownership is also rising across ethnicities, as women made up 23% of US gun owners in 2020 vs. 13% of them in 2005.
Societal Impact of Gun Ownership
- Despite reported gun ownership rates being highest in rural areas, those living in urban areas (51%) are more likely to believe that gun violence is rising in their communities (compared to 39% for suburbs and 27% for rural).
- 54% of Black Americans report themselves, friends, or family as having experienced gun violence in the last five years, compared to 27% of Hispanics and 13% of Whites.
- 59% of Black adults report increasing gun violence in their communities vs. 45% of Hispanics and 34% of Whites.
Characteristics of Gun Owners Besides Race
- The biggest predictor of gun ownership is being a man living in a rural area (67%).
- Gallup describes the other top characteristics of American gun owners as rural Republicans (62%), rural conservatives (62%), and rural Southerners (59%).
- At present, Republicans are 1.5 times more likely than non-Republicans to own a gun.
Sources:
https://www.pewresearch.org/social-trends/2017/06/22/the-demographics-of-gun-ownership/
https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2023/08/PP_2023.08.16_gun-owners_REPORT.pdf
https://dn721905.ca.archive.org/0/items/gov.uscourts.cod.218964/gov.uscourts.cod.218964.75.2.pdf
https://injepijournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40621-024-00527-z
https://apnorc.org/projects/americans-experiences-concerns-and-views-related-to-gun-violence/
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091743521001912
https://www.pewpewtactical.com/female-gun-ownership/