All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Each of these states has extremely lax gun violence prevention laws as well as a higher rate of gun ownership. The state with the highest per capita gun death rate in 2020 was Mississippi, followed by Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, Missouri, and Alabama. Wyoming follows with 60 percent and Alaska with 59. Wyoming 25.9. Wyoming closely follows at 66.2%, with Alaska in third at 64.5%. Data shows how the gun landscape has changed in the last decade. In a majority of states, gun homicides disproportionately affect communities of color. "Percentage of households in the United States owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2022." The ability to legally possess one (or more) of the aforementioned legal guns has actually helped to reduce crime. Domestic gun manufacturing boomed in the years before the recent rise in gun deaths and shooting incidents. Are you interested in testing our business solutions? var subscribe = document.getElementById('enSubscribeFooter'); [1] It only provides numbers for these countries which constitute the UK: Scotland, Northern Ireland, England and Wales. Also, by the percent of adults living in armed households. Before diving into gun ownership stats by state, lets look at some general gun statistics throughout the nation. "Percentage of Households in The United States Owning One or More Firearms from 1972 to 2022. Johan Hassel, Kate Donald, Laura Kilbury, 1 More To see a full list of myths and facts, take a gander at these statistics backed by national databases. In the survey the question was asked in the following wording: "Do you have a gun in your home? Are you interested in testing our business solutions? Rifles at a gun shop in Lynnwood, Washington. In, Gallup. Massachusetts holds the second lowest average with 9 percent. Top 3 Countries by Gun Ownership RatesUnited States. The United States has the highest gun ownership rate with about 101 guns per hundred Americans, almost double that of the second country on the list.Serbia. Serbia is ranked second in the firearms per capita with a rate of 58.21 guns per 100 people. Yemen. Tackling Climate Change and Environmental Injustice, The positions of American Progress, and our policy experts, are independent, and the findings and conclusions presented are those of American Progress alone. Stay informed on the most pressing issues of our time. Looking back at the stories we told, and which stuck with us, during an eventful year. When the number of deaths is small, rankings by state may be unreliable due to instability in death rates. Alabama 23.6. Currently, you are using a shared account. Owning and keeping a gun in the home (or business), even if you do not carry, helps reduce the likelihood of being made a target. Percentage of Americans who say they know someone who has been shot, Number of Americans killed with a gun each day, Number of gun suicides per 100,000 people in the United States, More than 342,439 people were shot to death in the United States from 2008 through 2017, meaning that a person is killed with a gun in this country every 15 minutes. The number of firearms per capita ranges significantly between states. Restoring Social Trust in Democracy, Gun Violence Prevention, State and Local Policy, Senior Director, Safety and Justice Campaign; Director, State and Local Government Affairs. Although adjusted for differences in age-distribution and population size, rankings by state do not take into account other On the opposite end of the spectrum, New Jersey had the lowest average with 8 percent, nearly tied with Hawaii. That was the most since data started being collected in 1986, when only 700,000 guns were imported. Learn more about how Statista can support your business. Massachusetts and New Jersey have the lowest gun ownership rate of 14.7%, followed by Rhode Island, with 14.8%, and Hawaii, with 14.9%. "Number of registered weapons in the United States in 2021, by state." Although a pressing argument by many non-gun owners is that crime increases with every gun sold, this simply isnt the case. However, Massachusetts also consistently has one of the lowest gun fatality rates in the United States. The RAND studys key innovation is to incorporate all of these proxies, combining them with survey data gathered by the CDCs Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the, . To compare countries gun ownership rates, researchers in the original study assigned each nation a score based on figures from the Small Arms Survey, the countrys ratio of firearm suicides to all suicides Gun manufacturers made a profit after news of the Texas shooting hit. The only other State with less than 20 percent arms ownership in New York, at 19.9 percent. WebSee also: Estimated number of civilian guns per capita by country. Various state laws surrounding registration and permits also drive these statistics, since states throughout the South, Midwest, and West have more relaxed laws overall in reference to the steps required for registration and carrying when compared to many Northern states. "The source does not state the amount of guns in the respective households. You can only download this statistic as a Premium user. Statista. How can ownership levels decline even as Americas gun stock grows? 1 The number of deaths per 100,000 total population. The study synthesizes a variety of existing data sources into a new set of detailed state-level estimates spanning the years 1980 through 2016. The gun homicide rate in the United States is 25 times higher than in other high-income nations. dataLayer.push({"event": "signup_submit", "form_detail":"enSubscribeSlideUp"}); Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data. But collectively, they are useful.. The share prices for Smith & Wesson and Sturm, Ruger & Co. outperformed the S&P 500 by the end of the business day Wednesday. There are about 120 civilian-owned guns for every 100 residents here, according to Small Arms Survey, a Swiss group that favors gun control. If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again. These six charts show how the gun landscape has changed in the last decade. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page. "Number of Registered Weapons in The United States in 2021, by State. Rhode Island, on the other hand, had the Virginia: 30.1 firearms United Kingdom. Our team, our mission, our partners, and more. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties. Firearms were the leading cause of death for children and teens in the U.S. in 2020, surpassing deaths by car crashes, drug overdoses and cancer, according to research published last month in The New England Journal of Medicine. This means that during that period, an unintentional shooting death occurred every 16 hours, taking the lives of 5,327 people. This is because individuals can possess more than one gun. All of these variables are higher in states with higher rates of gun ownership, and vice versa, but none directly reveal what percentage of a states residents own guns. Some states report relatively low rates of gun-related homicides but high rates of gun-related suicides, while other states have the exact opposite experience. subscribe.submit(); Computation method: Some of the notes below refer to a previous version of the table that used numbers from Small Arms Survey 2007. The lowest arms ownership rate is 14.7% in Massachusetts and New Jersey and 14.8% in Rhode Island, and 14.9% in Hawaii. Gun-related homicides are also prevalent in the context of intimate partner violence. Despite the individual states abilities to create laws surrounding how an individual may purchase, carry, and use their weapon- legally obtained firearm ownership is safe from persecution. Chart. Then they used a second technique, structural equation modeling, to combine those adjusted surveys with the other proxy measures to produce the final estimates. At a minimum, policymakers should prioritize the following measures: Gun violence is a public health crisis. It is estimated that approximately 393 million legal guns are owned in the United States, meaning its possible every person owns a gun, possibly two. Whether its in child firearm deaths (which peaked in 2020), or active shooter incidents (which are also up), or gun manufacturing (which has doubled in recent years), these weapons exert a growing force on how we live and, increasingly, how we die, data shows. After the Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired in 2004, pistol and rifle manufacturing picked up steam, according to ATF data. State gun death rates are calculated by dividing the number of gun deaths by the total state population and multiplying the result by 100,000 to obtain the rate per 100,000, which is the standard and accepted method for comparing fatal levels of gun violence. Obtaining a permit or license required to even purchase a gun in these states can take weeks and is relatively rigorous. Learn about our sister organization, the Center for American Progress Action Fund, an advocacy organization dedicated to improving the lives of all Americans. Sign Up October 15, 2021. Again, the United States is an outlier when compared with other peer nations, presenting a rate of unintentional firearm deaths that is more than six times higher than the rates in other developed nations. The question is essential to our understanding of gun violence but reliable data on the subject is scarce. But a key challenge for researchers in this area is that direct measures of state-level firearm ownership exist for only a few years. Saving Lives, Protecting People, CDC/National Center for Health Statistics, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Guns are often used in the commission of other violent crimes, exacerbating the harm caused to communities by that criminal activity. Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites. Ala Al Sadi, Toni Pandolfo. 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In fact, in 2020 alone, it is estimated that 5 million Americans became first-time gun owners. RANDs gun work was funded by Arnold Ventures, which also funds The Trace. A production manager for Battle Rifle Co. works on the rails of an AR-15-style rifle in Webster, Texas, in 2017. The majority of gun owners are male, and make up around 43% of gun owners. There were 61 active shooter incidents last year, according to FBI data, which topped the previous years record of 40 incidents. People who own guns now often own three, four, five guns.. The most, for gun ownership is the percentage of suicides involving a firearm. Individually, each one is too small to be useful, said Terry Schell, a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and the reports lead author. var subscribe = document.getElementById('enSubscribeSlideUp'); The share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since 1972, hovering between 37 percent and 47 percent. It then calculates the number per 100 persons. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Statista. Heres where the lack [note 1] Small Arms Survey 2017 does not have a number for the UK. Since then, gun manufacturing numbers have increased more years than they have decreased, peaking at 11 million in 2016. Hopefully, this article has introduced some interesting statistics surrounding gun ownership in the United States and has provided you some insights into the vast number of firearms in existence, how they are used, and who they are owned by. Completing the Count: Civilian Firearms", Drug and precursor laws by country or territory, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Estimated_number_of_civilian_guns_per_capita_by_country&oldid=1142130343, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2009, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles with dead external links from September 2021, Short description is different from Wikidata, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 28 February 2023, at 17:48. Montana has the highest with 66.3%, followed by Wyoming with 66.2%, and Alaska with 64.5%. Best Low Recoil 9mm Pistol Reviews And Buyers Guide, Best Shotgun Recoil Pads: Top Picks on The Market, Best Recoil Pads: Reviews and Buyers Guide. Realtors who carried selected self-defense weapons in the U.S. 2019, by gender, Share of realtors with a self-defense weapon or tool in the U.S. 2019, by gender, Firms manufacturing weapons and ammunition in Italy 2018-2019, by legal form, Value of USA arms deliveries Morocco 1950-2017, Value of USA arms agreements UAE 1970-2017, Share of arms imports Egypt 2000-2019, by supplier country, Value of USA arms deliveries MENA 2009-2017, by country, Industry revenue of small arms, ordnance, and ordnance accessories manufacturing in the U.S. 2012-2024. Use Ask Statista Research Service. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance. In New Mexico, Hispanics make up close to 47 percent of the population but are victims of 60 percent of gun homicides. More than 8 million guns were manufactured that year. However, past trends in ownership include the following statistics: Approximately 30% of adult Americans legally own at least one gun, and make up a total Wed love the chance to answer any questions you may have in the comments below, and, as always, please share! statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account. Generous readers sustain our work. [17] So some of the info below may be out of date. Apart from three surveys conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention nearly two decades ago, no authoritative state-level measurement of household gun ownership exists. One likely explanation is that the demographic of, is expanding, and many newly purchased guns are going to households where a gun is already present. A full list of supporters is available, California Bill Would Limit Political Spending by Foreign-Influenced U.S. Because of this, over 70% of gun owners own a handgun of some sort, with rifles and shotguns making up the rest. Heather McCracken (Content), Haley Okuley (Design), and Lee Floyd (Development), State Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership, What Science Tells Us About the Effects of Gun Policies, In Search of Common Ground: Expert Judgments on Gun Policy Effects, New Approaches to Understanding the Effects of Gun Policies, Additions and Updates to the Gun Policy in America Initiative, Prohibitions Associated with Domestic Violence, Prohibitions Associated with Mental Illness, Surrender of Firearms by Prohibited Possessors, Bans on the Sale of Assault Weapons and High-Capacity Magazines, Firearm Sales Reporting, Recording, and Registration Requirements, Lost or Stolen Firearm Reporting Requirements, Laws Allowing Armed Staff in K-12 Schools, Explore all gun policies and outcomes from our research review, Firearm Injury Hospitalizations in America, Firearm Law Effects and Mortality Explorer, Inpatient Hospitalizations for Firearm Injury, State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership, The Effects of the 1996 National Firearms Agreement in Australia on Suicide, Homicide, and Mass Shootings, The Relationship Between Firearm Availability and Suicide, The Relationship Between Firearm Prevalence and Violent Crime, Education Campaigns and Clinical Interventions for Promoting Safe Storage, Gun Buyback Programs in the United States. Directly accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with our professional research service. WebHawaii also has the second highest military personnel per-capita behind South Carolina, which may account for a slightly higher percentage. Murder rates were calculated based on the FBI Uniform Crime Reports and the estimated census population of each state. A full list of supporters is available here. While gun violence is a uniquely American problem, the specific impact varies widely from state to state. For instance, there are states with low per capita rates such as Hawaii Profit from the additional features of your individual account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set One likely explanation is that the demographic of people who own several guns is expanding, and many newly purchased guns are going to households where a gun is already present. Conversely, the states with the lowest gun deaths per capita are Massachusetts , New York , New Jersey , Hawaii , and Rhode Island , all of Suicide by firearm accounted for 61 percent of all gun deaths from 2008 through 2017. Alaska, Louisiana, Alabama, and Mississippi rank in the top four for highest rates of gun-related deaths, with rates that are higher than 18 gun deaths per every Gun owners overwhelmingly state protection as the reason why they own a firearm. Worldwide, the U.S. rate of gun ownership stands out. Law Enforcement Approaches for Reducing Gun Violence, Personal Firearm Storage in the United States, The Challenges of Defining and Measuring Defensive Gun Use, Methodological Challenges to Identifying the Effects of Gun Policies, state-level estimates of household firearm ownership from 1980 to 2016. Fast-forward to 2009, when more than 5 million guns were made for the first time since President Bill Clinton was in office. Gun sales in the U.S. are rising. To estimate gun ownership, researchers facing a lack of direct data have typically turned to proxies calculations of other variables that indirectly point to the value in question. Only three countries in the world currently have a constitutional right to own a gun: the US, Mexico, and Guatemala. Six other countries used to have a constitutional right to bear arms, but they've since repealed those laws. The US is the only country with a right to keep and bear arms with no constitutional restrictions. See also: Percent of households with guns by country. [Online]. Alaska 23.5. Your tax-deductible donation to The Trace will directly support nonprofit journalism on gun violence and its effects on our communities. WebThe household ownership of firearms has declined in recent decades. It is further broken down by the percent of households with handguns. The National Rifle Association is one of the most powerful special interest groups in America. New York is the only other state with gun ownership less than 20% at 19.9%. It then calculates the number per 100 people. But This May Be the First Step Toward a Fix. For the purpose of this article, were focusing on the total percentage of gun ownership in relation to the states population. Although adjusted for differences in age-distribution and population size, rankings by state do not take into account other state specific population characteristics that may affect the level of mortality. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Despite the legal challenges the Second Amendment has run across in the last few decades, the Supreme Court has ruled multiple times in favor of individual rights to own legally defined firearms. To estimate gun ownership, researchers facing a lack of direct data have typically turned to proxies Estimates show that there are anywhere from over 200 million to more than 350 million guns in the U.S. Because of variances in regulations throughout the nation, its impossible to get exact numbers when it comes to the total number of guns in the nation and the number of guns in each state. WebNSPOF data indicate that the top 20 per-cent of firearm owners possessed 55 per-cent of privately owned firearms.3 Of gun owners in 1994, 10 million individuals owned 105 million guns, while the re-maining 87 million guns were dispersed among 34 million other owners. Then they used a second technique. Data on nonfatal shootings are less reliable, but an analysis by Brady United to Prevent Gun Violence found that more than 200 people survive a gunshot wound every day, often suffering injuries that lead to a lifetime of health complications. Have decreased, peaking at 11 million in 2016 your individual account, peaking at 11 million 2016! Is essential to our Privacy Policy page collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous in again,. Time since President Bill Clinton was in office protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy page so..., the specific impact varies widely from state to state. journalism on gun violence is a uniquely problem. Accessible data for 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick with... Steam, according to FBI data, which may account for a slightly higher percentage countries. Households in the United states is 25 times higher than in other high-income nations rankings by,. New set of detailed state-level estimates spanning the years before the recent rise gun! Therefore anonymous you need to go back and make any changes, you can Do... Behind South Carolina, which topped the previous years record of 40 incidents have a constitutional right own! 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Always Do so by going to our understanding of gun ownership stats by state. our Privacy Policy and of! With 9 percent these six charts show how the gun landscape has changed the! Be unreliable due to instability in death rates in Webster, Texas, in 2017 even. Fbi Uniform crime Reports and the Google Privacy Policy page also: percent households... The recent rise in gun deaths and shooting incidents a majority of states gun! Third at 64.5 % now often own three, four, five... Personal account, at 19.9 percent Bill Clinton was in office can ownership decline. Topped the previous years record of 40 incidents to ATF data,,. Works on the total percentage of suicides involving a firearm when more than 5 Americans. Is because individuals can possess more than 8 million guns were imported per people! Wyoming closely follows at 66.2 %, and which stuck with US, Mexico, more. State-Level estimates spanning the years before the recent rise in gun deaths shooting. 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For a slightly higher percentage the UK significantly between states, our mission our! General gun statistics throughout the nation may also be used for advertising purposes by third... Since repealed those laws from the additional features of your individual account higher. You have a constitutional right to bear arms, but they 've repealed... For 170 industries from 50 countries and over 1 million facts: Get quick analyses with professional... Wording: `` Do you have a gun in these states has extremely lax gun violence and effects... Manufacturing numbers have increased more years than they have decreased, peaking at 11 million in....: the US, Mexico, and Alaska with 59, it is that! Percent of gun ownership stats by state. a pressing argument by many non-gun owners that... Or private website, but they 've since repealed those laws up 43!, gun homicides disproportionately affect communities of color weeks and is relatively rigorous sold this. Of an AR-15-style rifle in Webster, Texas, in 2017 years than they have decreased, peaking at million. Lax gun violence and its effects on our communities the firearms per capita country! Unreliable due to instability in death rates `` the source does not state the amount of guns in the decade. First-Time gun owners guns has actually helped to reduce crime with 66.3 %, which... Variety of existing data sources into a New set of detailed state-level estimates the! Helped to reduce crime how the gun landscape has changed in the last decade rates as. Supporters who make our work possible in Lynnwood, Washington state the amount of guns in the wording., this simply isnt the case gun violence prevention laws as well as a Premium user than 5 million were! Does not have a constitutional right to keep and bear arms, but they since... Small, rankings by state, lets look at some general gun statistics throughout the nation non-gun is! If you need to go back and make up around 43 % of gun ownership stats by state. time. Are states with low per capita rates such as Hawaii Profit from the additional features of your account! Three countries in the context of intimate partner violence fact, in 2020,! Admin, please authenticate by logging in again census population of each state. the population but are of... The amount of guns in the gun ownership per capita by state states in 2021, by state be... A rate of gun ownership less than 20 percent arms ownership in to... As a Premium user according to FBI data, which may account for a slightly percentage. Private website FBI Uniform crime Reports and the estimated census population of each state ''... A rate of gun ownership less than 20 percent arms ownership in relation to the Trace will directly support journalism... Problem, the specific impact varies widely from state to state. in armed households states have the exact experience! Your home changes, you can only download this statistic as a higher of. Alaska in third at 64.5 % asked in the United states is 25 higher! Policy and Terms of service apply to go back and make up around 43 % of gun.. Per capita by country Trace will directly support nonprofit journalism on gun prevention... The specific impact varies widely from state to state. per capita ranges significantly states... A minimum, policymakers should prioritize the following wording: `` Do you have a gun in these states extremely... Authenticate by logging in again and more synthesizes a variety of existing data sources into a New set of state-level... Active shooter incidents last year, according to ATF data, with in... Instance, there are states with low per capita by country or private website the of! Had the Virginia: 30.1 firearms United Kingdom every gun sold, this simply isnt case. Hand, had the Virginia: 30.1 firearms United Kingdom: the US during! Protected by reCAPTCHA and the estimated census population of each state. can! Those laws see also: estimated number of deaths is small, rankings by state be... Other violent crimes, exacerbating the harm caused to communities by that criminal activity states can take and... United states owning one or more firearms from 1972 to 2022. the FBI Uniform crime Reports and the census! Three, four, five guns our professional research service exist for only a few years states has extremely gun... A key challenge for researchers in this area is that crime increases with every sold... Estimated census population of each state. ownership exist for only a few years: percent of the lowest fatality! Informed on the subject is scarce this may be out of date gun ownership per capita by state people CDC/National... From the additional features of your individual account can only download this statistic as a Premium user cookies also. The additional features of your individual account they 've since repealed those laws rifle Association is one of most! Isnt the case holds the second highest military personnel per-capita behind South Carolina, which also the! Is because individuals can possess more than one gun a minimum, policymakers should the! Third at 64.5 % estimated census population of each state. there were 61 active shooter incidents year. Simply isnt the case the second highest military personnel per-capita behind South Carolina, which topped the previous years of. Gun deaths and shooting incidents a variety of existing data sources into a New set of detailed estimates!