How Many Gun Owners are in America? (2024 Statistics)

As the political climate heats up surrounding gun control and legislation, more Americans are buying firearms today than six years ago. In the past twenty years, gun ownership has risen slightly among women and Hispanics while it has decreased among men.

Report Highlights:

Self-reported gun ownership in America increased by 28% from 1994 to 2023.
Based on NICS background data and manufacturing records, it is estimated that there are 500 million civilian-owned firearms in the U.S.
Only 6.06 million firearms are registered in America (the U.S. does not require registration for all firearms).
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.

Methodology

Firearm ownership, a complex and multifaceted issue, is not officially recorded, tracked, or monitored in the United States. Therefore, we must rely on a variety of sources to gain a comprehensive understanding of firearm-related statistics.

All information collected below comes from the most reputable sources available.

Here is how we compiled the data in this article:

Self-Reporting Surveys: Gun ownership and feelings towards guns.
Peer-Reviewed Studies: Studying correlations between gun ownership, crime, and deaths.
NICS and ATF Reports: The National Instant Background Check system records are used to understand firearm sales and purchases.

You can see a comprehensive list of our sources here.

How Many Americans Own Guns?

In a 2024 survey, 32% of Americans (107 million people) reported that they personally owned a firearm.

Firearm ownership increased by 6.7% in the U.S. (all demographics) between 2017 and 2023. During that same time period, women increased ownership by 13.6%, and Hispanics increased ownership by 33.3%.

Not only is gun ownership on the rise, but some demographics are purchasing guns at higher rates today than ever before, per self-reporting data.

Furthermore, 7.5 million adults (2.9% of adults in the U.S.) became first-time gun owners between 2019 and 2021. Of those, 5.4 million did not have a firearm in the household before purchasing.

Gun Sale Trends in America 2010-2023

While firearm ownership historically remains between 30% and 40% of the adult population, purchase trends vary widely. More Americans bought firearms in 2020 than any year since 2010.

Increased gun sales backing increased gun ownership in the U.S.

How Many Legal Gun Owners in the United States?

Unfortunately, it’s nearly impossible to tell exactly how many legal firearm owners there are in the U.S. However, we can explore the NICS, gun sales, and firearm ownership trends to better explain the legality of firearm ownership in America.

Current estimates state that there have been more than 7 million firearms sold in the US via an FFL dealer or private seller with a background check (January through May).
More than 64 million background checks (E-Checks) have been approved since 2002.
There are currently more than 6 million registered firearms of the estimated 500 million in circulation. It’s important to note that the 1934 National Firearms Act and U.S. vs. Miller require registration for some firearms, but not all firearms require registration.

How Many illegal?

While some estimate that more than one million Americans possess firearms illegally, criminals do not regularly report firearm possession. Therefore, we must look into past data to better understand illegal firearm ownership in the U.S.

Only 146 firearms were confiscated during a license or registration process in 2021.
316,464 firearms were recovered by the ATF in 2021 involving the commission of a crime.
47,361 firearms were confiscated from individuals under the age of 21 in the U.S. in 2021.
68% of firearm offenders are rearrested within 8 years, compared to only 46% of non-firearm offenders (2005).
In 2018, there were 6,719 federal convictions under 18 U.S.C. § 922(g).

What Percentage of Americans Own Guns?

40%, or approximately more than 134,000,000 Americans, live in a home with a gun, while 32% of Americans report personally owning one (107 million people).

Comparatively speaking, 28% more people report having firearms in 2024 than they did twenty years ago. In 1994, only 35% of households contained a firearm, and only 25% (65.7 million people) of Americans reported owning one themselves.

Gun ownership has been on the rise in recent years.

How Many Guns Does An Average Gun Owner Possess?

The average American owns between one and five firearms. Men are more likely than women to own more than one, and those with only one firearm typically have a handgun or pistol.

62% of gun owners with only one firearm have a handgun.
66% of gun owners have more than one firearm.
29% of gun owners have five firearms.
Men are more likely to own more than one firearm (74%) than women.

How Many US Households Have Guns?

Currently, more than 40% of households have at least one firearm (an estimated 52,000,000 households). The number of households with guns increased by 14.3% since 1994, with 18% more buying firearms during the pandemic.

Household gun ownership is on the rise in the U.S. Many households acquired new firearms during the pandemic.

How Many Americans Report That They or Someone in Their Household Have A Gun?

Only 10% of respondents to the June 2023 survey stated they do not personally own a firearm but do live in a home with someone else who does. This is a 6.7% increase from 2017.

What Is The Primary Reason Why Americans Possess Guns?

72% of gun owners say they keep a firearm for protection in 2023.
Only 32% of Americans own a firearm for hunting.
30% of gun owners use firearms for sports.
15% of firearm owners keep them as a collection.
7% of owners use their firearms in a work-related setting.

Despite fluctuations in firearm ownership, the number one reason owners keep firearms is for protection (72% in 2023, which is an increase of 7.5% since 2017).

Although most people report having firearms for protection, 15.4% more people report collecting them today. Those who keep firearms for sport or work-related purposes remain unchanged, while those who reported keeping guns for hunting have declined by 15% since 2017.

Primary Reason Why Americans Possess Guns

The majority of gun owners cite personal defense as a reason for owning guns.

American Gun Owners: Rights, Liberty, and Feelings

American gun owners are free to be elusive, and their rights to privacy are Constitutionally protected. While this is beneficial to our liberty, it does make it challenging to understand gun ownership in the U.S. entirely.

Fortunately, we can deduce that there are more gun owners today than twenty years ago, and nearly half of the U.S. population is armed. Although gun ownership rates are likely higher, for now, we can all rest assured of the undeniable fact that this country has many armed and empowered citizens.

Sources

Written by

Cassandra McBride