Gun Ownership by State (2024 Statistics)

Report Highlights:

As of 2017, American civilians own 46% (approximately 393.3 million) of the world’s 857 million civilian-use firearms.
Montana has the highest number of gun owners (66.3%).
Wyoming has the most guns per capita, with 245.8 firearms for every 1,000 residents.
New Jersey has the lowest rate of gun ownership at only 8.9% of the population and the least amount per capita (1.1 for every 1,000 people).

Note: The state-level ownership may be lower due to data restraints. All information regarding gun ownership is largely dependent on self-reporting, and states are less likely to publish gun ownership data.

Rate of Gun Ownership by State

Wyoming has the highest rate of gun ownership, with 245.8 known firearms for every 1,000 citizens. New Jersey has the lowest rate, with only 1.1 known firearms for every 1,000 citizens.

West Virginia, South Dakota, New Mexico, and New Hampshire round up the top five for the highest rates of gun ownership (number of firearms per resident), while Washington, Utah, Rhode Island, and New York round up the lower five

Although the U.S. has approximately five hundred million firearms (source 1), each state reports lower numbers than national data. We measure gun ownership at the state level in the number of firearms per 1,000 residents (per capita).

Gun Ownership by Country

The latest survey data in 2017 indicates that there are approximately 857 million civilian-owned firearms globally. (Source 2). The United States has the highest rate of civilian gun ownership at 120.5 firearms for every one hundred civilians.

Switzerland ranks second with only 27.58 firearms for every 100 civilians. Japan has the fewest guns per capita, at 0.33 per 100 civilians.

Note: This information is based on a survey. It is only as accurate as the respective government provides.

How Permits-to-Purchase and Background Checks Affect Gun Ownership

Although Nebraska, Minnesota, and Oregon have permit-to-purchase legislation, the states rank relatively high in gun ownership rates. Furthermore, states like Colorado and Pennsylvania require background checks for all firearm purchases yet still rank pretty high in ownership rates.^{3, 4, 5}

While more states with strict firearm purchasing laws have fewer firearms, that isn’t always the case; despite State-mandated background checks and permits-to-purchase, many states still rank relatively high.

Permits and Background Checks - Effects on Gun Ownership

What State Has the Most Guns

It is estimated that Texas has more guns than any other state, with 1,005,555 guns and just over 29 million residents. Florida trails behind in second place, with 518,725 guns and a population of just over 21 million residents.

Rhode Island has the lowest number of guns, with 4,887, and a population size of just over one million residents.

Percentage of Gun Ownership by State

Montana has the highest percentage of residents who own guns, with 65.7% of the population. New Jersey has the lowest percentage of gun owners (only 8.9% of residents own a firearm).

Over 36% of the U.S. population at the state level reports owning a gun. However, national surveys indicate that only 40% of the population owns guns.

State Firearm Ownership and Firearm-Related Deaths

Firearm ownership rates do not indicate more firearm-related deaths. In fact, 27% of the nation’s homicides occur in states with the smallest percentage of gun owners, and only 8% of homicides occur in states with the highest percentage.

Firearm Ownership & Firearm-Related Deaths

There is no direct correlation between gun ownership and firearm-related death. In fact, the five states with the highest firearm-related deaths have relatively low firearm ownership rates.

Firearm Ownership & Firearm-Related Suicides

In 2021, there were 26,328 firearm-related suicides in the U.S. Thirty percent of firearm-related suicides in 2021 occurred in five states that don’t fall in the top ten for gun ownership.

Firearm Ownership & Firearm-Related Homicides

The deadliest states in the U.S. in 2023 regarding firearms were Texas, California, Illinois, Florida, and Georgia. These states are not in the top fifteen for gun ownership.

ATF Seizures and State of Origin

The ATF now tracks firearms recovered and their state of origin. Tracking firearms is important as it indicates which states are contributing to gun crime in strict areas. However, the states with the most guns are rarely the origin place of seized firearms.⁸

Note: These firearms were recovered by the ATF. They may or may not have been involved in a crime.

Link Between Worldwide Gun Ownership & Gun Deaths

One of the more pressing questions regarding civilian firearm ownership is, “Do firearms result in more deaths?” If we compare ownership to firearm-related gun deaths (including homicides and suicides), the correlation between ownership rates and deaths becomes unclear.

Sources

Written by

Cassandra McBride