Why People Want Firearms

What is it about firearms that draws people to them?

And, more to the point: Why do so many Americans want guns? It is merely their Second Amendment right? Do they feel a need for a gun in their house?

The answer is probably as diverse as the people who own guns.

The demographics of gun ownership is a study taken on by the Pew researchers. But, they caution that getting a handle of American gun ownership doesn’t just mean counting who owns a gun. Here are some things they discovered about why people want to own guns:

Demographics of Gun Ownership

Thirty percent of American adults polled stated that they presently own a gun. Another 10% live in homes where there is a gun. Half of the ones who do not own guns see themselves getting one.

More men than women own guns but this is changing quickly. More white men than ethnic groups own guns. In rural areas, almost half the population owns guns. In the suburbs, it is about 30% and in cities 20% but growing quickly.  Regardless of where they live, gun owners cite self-defense and protections as reasons for concealed carry.

Gun ownership varies considerably across demographic groups. Almost 40% are men. Over 20% are women—and growing. Ethnically 38% are while. 25% are black and 15% are Hispanics.

An education gap is evident in gun ownership. Only three in ten adult gun owners are high school graduates. Seventy percent of gun owners have lower than high school education. Thirty-five percent of college graduates own a gun.

Regionally, those in Northeastern US are least likely to own guns. Almost forty percent of Southerners own guns. In the Midwest and West a little over thirty percent own guns.

Politically, Republican and those leaning toward Republican are over 200% more likely to own a handgun than Democrats.

Growing up with Guns

Most adults who own guns were introduced to guns in their childhood. Two in three say family members owned guns. They themselves fired guns before they were eighteen. Over seventy percent of those who grew up in rural areas are most likely to have grown up with a gun in their homes. Over fifty percent of those who grew up in small towns say guns were present. Forty percent of those who grew up in cities had a gun in their house.

Most non-gun owners didn’t have exposure to guns growing up. Regardless of the type of community they lived in growing up, adults who grew up with guns in their households are far more likely than those who did not to be gun owners themselves. About four-in-ten who grew up in a gun-owning household say they currently own a gun, compared to twenty percent of those who didn’t grow up with guns in their household. This difference is most pronounced among those who grew up in rural areas.

Why Own Guns?

Many gun owners cite multiple reasons for buying a gun. Self-protection is the top reason on seven of ten gun owner lists. Forty percent also cite hunting. Thirty percent state sport and competitive shooting as a reason. Only about one in eight cite collecting guns as one of their reasons for owning a gun. 

When you look at age as a demographic, older Americans who grew with guns are far more likely than younger adults who grew up with guns to cite hunting as a reason for owning guns. Over eighty present of seniors over sixty-five and just under seventy-five percent of ages fifty to sixty-five say hunting was a reason for a gun in their childhood home. Only half of those in the under thirty group gave hunting as a reason there was a gun in their home when they were growing up.

Seven in ten say they own more than one gun. Almost 30% own more than five. Handguns are present in almost 75% of gun owners’ collections.  Over 60% own a rifle and over 50% own a shotgun. 

Seventy-five percent of American gun owners cannot imagine not owning a gun. Eighty-five percent of gun owners say the right to own guns a major reason for them to have a gun. Interestingly, over forty percent of those who do not see themselves owning a gun say that the right to bear arms is essential.