Gun Ownership by Gender in 2024: Closing the Gender Gap

As society shifts away from traditional gender roles and women become more independent, it may surprise some of our readers that women have yet to embrace gun ownership fully. However, the gender gap between male and female gun ownership is slowly closing.

This article explores gun ownership by gender, the trends, and the responses to gun control.

Methodology

Ammo.com sources all information from reputable publications. However, due to reporting limitations and the Fifth Amendment, firearm ownership data largely relies on self-reporting surveys and NICS background check data.

We used various surveys and studies to analyze gun ownership trends and provide the most accurate data available.

Note: The United States does not officially track gun owners. All statistics included in the following sections come from self-reporting surveys and NICS background check data.

We strive to provide accurate and reliable information. You can view all of our sources HERE.

Gun Ownership by Gender by Year

Recent surveys indicate that 32% of Americans, or approximately 107.5 million people, personally own firearms ^{10, 12}. However, gun ownership rates differ significantly between men and women.

While more men currently own firearms than women, the gap is closing. In 2024, 25% of women owned firearms compared to 40% of men. As we'll explore below, the rate of new gun ownership is slowing among men while accelerating among women ¹.

Gun Ownership Among Men in the US

Men have historically dominated gun ownership in the U.S. for centuries. However, by 2024, men are less likely to own guns than in previous years. In 1980, 50% of men, or about 55 million, owned firearms.

Despite an increase in the number of male gun owners today, with 40% of men—or approximately 63 million—owning guns, the overall rate of gun ownership among men has not kept pace with population growth.

While the number of male gun owners has increased over the past twenty years, the male population has grown even more, resulting in a decline in firearm ownership rates. This decline reflects a 20% decrease in the likelihood of men owning guns since 1980 and an 8% decrease since 2022.

Gun Ownership Among Women in the US

Not long ago, it was a social taboo for ladies to own firearms. However, women have begun embracing the greatest equalizer ever gifted to humankind and are now becoming gun owners at higher rates.

In 2024, 25% of American women, or about 42 million, owned guns, representing a 13% increase from 2022 ¹. For context, only 10% of women, or around 11 million, owned guns in 1980.¹¹

Why Do Men and Women Choose to Own Guns in the US

In 2024, most gun owners, male or female, cited protection as a major reason for owning a gun.

In fact, 72% of all gun owners in the U.S. stated that they own firearms primarily for protection. Additionally, 32% cited hunting, 30% mentioned sport shooting, 15% said their guns were part of a collection, and 7% indicated they owned firearms for work-related purposes.

The motivation for owning a gun does vary between males and females. As one would suspect, women are much more likely to keep a firearm for protection, whereas men own them for various reasons.

In a 2017 survey, 92% of female gun owners and 91% of male gun owners cited protection as one of the reasons for owning a gun. However, 27% of women and 8% of men cited personal safety as the only reason for owning a firearm. ²

Although historically, women have owned firearms at lower rates, the motivations are primarily the same. A 1992 study investigated female gun ownership specifically.

Over 50,000 women responded, with 42% reporting that they had been victims of a crime at some point in their lives. Additionally, 40% cited self-defense and safety as their primary reasons for owning a gun. ⁴

Average Number of Guns Owned by Men and Women in the US

The average American gun owner has between one and five firearms. However, we don’t know exactly how many (again, that’s all thanks to our handy dandy Constitution).

The available data suggests that men typically own more firearms per person than women.

A 2015 study found that 74% of male gun owners have more than one firearm, compared to 53% of female gun owners. ⁷

Men vs. Women Gun Type Preference

In a 2015 survey, 40.4% of female gun owners owned only handguns, compared to 20.7% of male gun owners. ⁷

Given that many women prioritize firearms for self-defense, it's not surprising that handguns are the most common choice. However, data on this subject is limited. Interestingly, before 2014, research suggested that women preferred long guns over handguns, while men favored a more balanced mix of all firearm types. ¹³

First Time Owning a Gun

In 2020, there were 8.4 million first-time gun buyers, but this number dropped to 5.4 million in 2021. The pandemic surge in gun buying highlighted that women were becoming first-time gun owners at unprecedented rates. According to a 2022 survey of gun retailers, 33% of new gun buyers in 2021 were women, while 67% were men. ⁸

Another survey revealed that nearly half of all first-time gun buyers between 2019 and 2021 were women. For instance, in 2019, 50% of first-time buyers were women, and in both 2020 and 2021, women made up 47% of first-time buyers. ⁹

Note: All data in this section relies on various self-reporting surveys between 2019 and 2021. The results of these surveys vary as the first includes responses from gun dealers, and the second contains responses from buyers.

Gun Sales by Age and Gender

Gun ownership in the U.S. is largely cultural, and it generally holds more appeal for men than women. Men typically purchase their first firearm as soon as they can, while women often delay their first gun purchase until later in life.

Additionally, women are less likely to engage in shooting activities or research firearm-related topics as frequently as men.

On average, men become gun owners at the age of 19, whereas women typically purchase their first firearm at the age of 27. ⁵

• Females are less likely to watch TV programs or videos about guns (33% vs. 43%).
• 28% of female gun owners visit firearm-related websites, compared to 39% of male gun owners.
• 40% of female gun owners say their friends own guns, compared to 54% of male gun owners.

Note: All data included in this section is sourced from self-reporting surveys.

Gun Owners and Gun Access by Gender

Not everyone owns a firearm, so it’s important to address the gender disparities in both ownership and access. In 2024, 42% of American adults live in a home with a firearm. With over 129 million households in the U.S., this means that 54.1 million households contain a firearm. ¹⁰

In 2024, only 5% of male non-gun owners report living in a household with a firearm, compared to 15% of female non-gun owners who do. ¹⁰

Interestingly, the rate of men living in homes with guns has remained unchanged since 2017, while the rate for non-gun-owning females has shifted.

In 2017, 44% of households contained at least one firearm. At that time, 5% of men lived in homes with guns but did not personally own one, whereas 18% of women lived in homes with guns without being gun owners themselves. ⁶

Gun Control Support by Gender

One key factor in the gender divide among gun owners is attitudes toward gun control. Gun control has historically been more strongly supported by women, serving as a clear indicator of each gender's feelings about firearms. Interestingly, while support for gun control among men has increased, it has decreased among women.

Over the years, gun control support between men and women has fluctuated, but women have consistently supported it more than men. In 2001, only 39% of men favored stricter gun control, compared to 66% of women.

Following the expiration of the Federal Assault Weapons Ban in 2004, crime rates declined, and support for gun control also dropped among both men and women, reaching 37% and 50%, respectively, by 2011.

After the tragic Sandy Hook school shooting in 2012, gun control support surged, with 69% of women and 47% of men in favor. This heightened support persisted until 2020, when rising crime rates led to shifts in public opinion.

According to the latest data from 2022, 51% of men now support stricter gun control—significantly higher than in previous years—while support among women has decreased to 62%. ¹

Guns Rule: Gender Gaps Drool

Although men still dominate the firearm industry and gun ownership, women are rapidly closing the gap.

For the first time in U.S. history, gun ownership is on the rise while support for gun control is declining, even in the face of rising crime rates. This trend suggests that more women are feeling empowered to take control of their safety, contributing to the growing number of female gun owners. Meanwhile, men are becoming gun owners at rates that have remained relatively steady over the years.

As women continue to embrace firearm ownership, this shift not only reflects changing attitudes toward personal safety but also signals a broader cultural transformation.

The narrowing gender gap in gun ownership indicates that firearms are increasingly being seen as essential tools for self-defense by both men and women, potentially reshaping the future landscape of gun rights and firearm-related policies in the United States.

Sources

1. Stark Gender Gap in Gun Ownership
2. How Male and Female Gun Owners Compare in the U.S.
3. Gender Distribution of the Resident Population of the United States from 1980 to 2022
4. Handguns Are an Effective Form of Self-Defense for Women
5. How Male and Female Gun Owners in the U.S. Compare
6. The Demographics of Gun Ownership
7. Gun Ownership Among U.S. Women
8. NSSF Retailer Surveys Indicate 5.4 Million First-Time Gun Buyers in 2021
9. Firearm Purchasing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From the 2021 National Firearms Survey
10. Key Facts About Americans and Guns
11. Trends in Gun Ownership in the United States 1974-2014
12. What Percentage of Americans Own Guns
13. Changes in Firearm Ownership Among Women 1980-1994