For years, gun control advocates have been trying to marginalize and isolate gun owners, attempting to turn them into some sort of stereotype bearing no relation to reality and relegating them to a small minority of the population by by using woefully out-of-date studies conducted years ago.
However, those numbers tell a very different story in context.
The United States has a huge population; the third largest after China and India. According to estimates from the U.S. Census Bureau, more than a third of a billion people called American home in 2024.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation and the 2021 National Firearms Survey both estimated about 81 million Americans legally own one or more guns. That’s almost a quarter (24.628%) of the U.S. population of more than 340 million. It’s also more than the populations of every country in the Western European Union except Germany.
But there’s a catch: That’s 81 million Americans legally owning firearms. For a true apples-to-apples comparison, what percentage of the population can do that?
Working with estimates from various sources, including the Census Bureau, we factored out undocumented aliens not legally in the United States, those under 18, individuals with a sufficiently serious physical disability that it would be difficult or impossible for them to safely handle a firearm, those who are prohibited persons, such. as felons, and those adjudicated as being mentally disturbed to the point they present a danger to themselves or others.
After adjusting for all of these, we are left with the number of Americans who can legally possess or own a firearm. That turns out to be roughly 191.4 million, or 56% of the U.S. population. That’s the proper number for comparison.
Gun owners make up about 42% of that group. Out of every 100 Americans eligible to own a firearm, 42 already own them. The ranks of gun owners are diverse, as well. Women and Blacks are the fastest-growing demographics among new gun owners.
Of course, everything is based on estimates. However, those doing the estimating have been doing it a long time and they generally have a firmer foundation, such as quantitative data, than the small-scale surveys quoted by gun control fans.
There are so many fundamental problems with survey results, including difficulties getting a group of people to participate, bias in study design, and questions specifically designed to get a desired answer. In fairness, we have never seen a 2A-related survey from either side that was free from bias..
The only way the demonization of gun owner works is if we let it; if we don’t speak up and help people learn about the utterly false narrative that has been foisted off on them for years.
Always remember: The object of any debate is to not to persuade your opponents; it’s to persuade the audience.
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