A survey conducted by Pew Research shared insights into how Americans view guns, ownership, and policy — and the results turned a few expectations upside down. The survey dug into who owns guns, why they own them, and how people across political lines really feel about gun laws.
Some of the findings challenge long-held assumptions, revealing a more complex and nuanced picture of America’s relationship with firearms. From shifting reasons for ownership to surprising levels of agreement on certain policies, the data paints a story that’s more about personal experience and less about party lines.
Whether you’re familiar with gun culture or watching the debate from the sidelines, these numbers tell a side of the story that’s rarely seen.
Here are thirteen of the most interesting and unexpected takeaways from Pew Research’s deep dive into Americans and guns.
1 – Only Around a Third of Americans Own Guns
Wait, only a third? Yep, the Pew Research results showed that 32% of respondents indicated they own a firearm, with 40% reporting that they live in a household where someone owns a gun.
I found this surprising because America is well-known as the most gun-friendly country in the world, and there are more guns in the country than there are people.
With those numbers, I would have thought that at least half of Americans would have been gun owners, but I guess not!
2 – Personal Protection is the #1 Reason People Own A Gun
One might think that most people who buy guns would buy them for target shooting or hunting (the two activities that guns are perhaps most commonly associated with).
Still, the Pew Research findings showed that personal protection is the #1 reason why people who buy a gun do so.
Specifically, 72% of respondents who bought a gun claimed they did so exclusively for personal protection. Furthermore…
3 – Less Than a Third of People Buy Guns for Hunting or Sport Shooting
Even though hunting and target shooting are known to be very popular recreational activities in America, less than a third of respondents in the Pew Research survey reported that they owned guns for either one.
It goes to show how the argument that ‘people only need guns for hunting’ we commonly hear doesn’t line up at all with how people feel about firearms.
4 – Half of Americans Who Don’t Own A Gun Never Want One
Pew Research asked non-gun owners if they could ever see themselves owning a gun one day, and just over half (52%) responded in the negative.
One would think that most people who don’t own a gun might be open to at least the possibility of owning one in the future, but it seems that people who don’t own a firearm are ardent in their conviction that they never will.
47% of respondents, however, reported that they could see themselves as a gun owner at one point in the future.
5 – Republicans and Democrats Agree on Most Gun Policies
Wait, what? That’s right, I was surprised to see that most Republicans and Democrats agree on most gun laws. For instance, nearly 90% of both agree with having stricter laws in place preventing those with mental illnesses from buying guns, and majorities also agree with increasing the minimum age to buy a gun to 21 years old.
The only real issues where people in the two parties tend to disagree are over ownership of so-called ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high capacity magazines’ and whether teachers and school officials should be permitted to carry them in educational institutions. That being said…
6 – Republicans Who Don’t Own Guns Are More Likely To Favor Stricter Restrictions
The Pew Research results showed that Americans who don’t own guns are more likely to favor stricter regulations. While it’s easy to see how this may apply to Democrats and possibly Independents (considering the current political landscape), it applied very strongly to Republicans as well.
For instance, a majority of non-gun-owning Republicans favor banning so-called ‘assault weapons’ and ‘high capacity magazines’ even though a strong majority of Republicans overall are opposed.
7 – A Minority of Parents Are Worried About a School Shooting
We tragically hear about truly horrific school shootings in the news far more often than we should.
Even so, just 32% of K-12 parents reported that they were ‘extremely’ or ‘very’ concerned about a shooting happening at the school(s) where their children attend.
8 – Only a Quarter of Parents Agree Arming Teachers is a Good Idea
Less than a quarter of K-12 parents reported that they thought it was a good idea for teachers to be trained and licensed to carry firearms while on school property.
I would have thought that this would have been closer to half when you consider how widely talked about teachers carrying guns as a potential solution.
A majority of parents, 63%, claimed that blocking those who are mentally ill from accessing firearms was the best solution.
9 – Most Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws
Pew Research posed the very general question, “Should gun laws be stricter or less strict, or are they about right?” Even though I would have expected the answer to be fairly even, the truth is that over 60% of respondents favored ‘stricter’ gun laws.
Unsurprisingly, however, Democrats and Independents were far more likely to favor stricter gun laws overall than Republicans. That being said…
10 – Americans Are Evenly Divided to a T As To Whether Guns Increase or Decrease Safety
Americans are evenly split about whether law-abiding citizens carrying guns does more to increase or decrease safety, with 49% answering either way.
It’s surprising to me that Americans are so precisely split on this issue, even while a strong majority seem to be in favor of stricter restrictions.
11 – Few Non-Gun-Owners in Gun-Owning Houses Are Fine With Having Guns in the House
Only 31% of non-gun-owning people who live in a household where someone else living in the house owns a gun report that they are comfortable with having guns in the house.
This was surprising to me because it’s easy to think that most families who have guns in the house would have a ‘gun-friendly culture’ in that home, but according to Pew, this isn’t necessarily the case.
12 – Most Women Who Don’t Own A Gun Don’t Want One
Pew’s findings showed that of all non-gun-owning men, a majority (56%) were open to the idea of owning one in the future. But only 40% of women said the same thing.
I would have thought that more women would at least be open to the idea of owning one and that men and women would have been roughly equal in regard to the matter as well, but Pew’s results show otherwise.
13 – Americans’ Views on Guns Haven’t Changed Over the Last Several Years
The above findings haven’t changed much from the surveys Pew Research has conducted in years past!
Despite all the debate about guns and gun laws that we’ve seen in the news and across the dinner table over the past several years, the above findings do not represent a significant shift over the results of past Pew surveys.
If anything, people are only getting more entrenched in their views than ever.
What Do You Think?
What do you think drives the growing divide in opinions on gun ownership and safety, even with many Americans agreeing on some policies?
Let us know in the comments.
UP NEXT: “Heavily Armed” — See Which States Are The Most Strapped
Image Credit: Survival World
Americans have long debated the role of firearms, but one thing is sure — some states are far more armed than others. See where your state ranks in this new report on firearm ownership across the U.S.
