As many as 65 million Americans now own firearms for protection, survey suggests

Credit: Karolina Grabowska from Pexels Some 65 million Americans now own firearms for protection—around 80% of the country’s estimated 81 million gun owners—suggest the results of a nationally representative survey carried out in 2023, and published online in the journal Injury Prevention. This perceived need is changing the profile of gun owners, the findings indicate, with increasing numbers of women and those of minority ethnic backgrounds citing protection as the primary reason for owning a firearm. In 2021, firearms caused the highest absolute number of deaths on record in the U.S., taking nearly 49,000 lives. This death toll coincided with Read More