The New York Times just posted an article examining gun ownership in the United States. The article was in response to a recent study conducted in 2015 by researchers from Harvard and Northeastern that said just 3% of Americans say that they own nearly half of the nation’s guns.
The study reports that handguns make up 42% of the guns in the United States that are privately owned. This number is up from 34% in 1994. In 1994, 34% of the guns Americans owned were handguns, 36% were rifles. 26% were shotguns and 4% were other guns. In 2015, 42% are handguns, 33% are rifles 20% are shotguns and again, 4% was other.
The article says that the survey responses gave 6 top reasons for gun ownership. 63% wanted them for protection against other people. 20% wanted them for protection against animals. 40% said they owned their guns for hunting and 28% for sporting use. 34% said their guns were part of a collection. 40% said their guns were owned for “other” purposes. Those “other” reasons aren’t explained, and again, that’s something I’m curious about. If not self defense or hunting, then are those the people who are worried they won’t be able to buy guns in the future and are exercising their right while they still can? It seems likely, but I’m open to hearing other possible explanations. What else could explain 40% of the people who answered the survey saying they used their guns for something other than self-defense, hunting or collecting?
One of the reasons that the newer study that we’ve referenced above is considered more conclusive is because In 1994, participants could select just one reason for ownership. In the more recent survey, obviously, they could choose several reasons for their gun ownership. In 1994, 46 percent of respondents chose protection as the primary reason to own a gun. Twenty years later, 63 percent of respondents chose that reason.
Regarding handguns in particular, 22% of handguns are owned by men while 42% of handguns are owned by women. Men own 25% of long guns and 56% own both. 17% of women own long guns and 42% of female respondents own both.
When looked at by race, 20% of the handgun owners are white. 24% of the long gun owners are white and 56% own both. Hispanics own 38% of handguns and 19% of the long guns. 44% of Hispanics own both. Blacks own 57% of the handguns and only 7% of the long guns. 36% own both. The survey polled 4,000 people across the country.
