Pew Research Finds the Key Motivator for Gun Ownership is Protection; Guns are Too Easy to Obtain

A recent Pew Research Center survey sheds light on the motivations behind gun ownership in the United States. According to the study, most gun owners own weapons primarily for protection.

Key findings from the survey include:

Protection as the Primary Motivation: Approximately 72% of U.S. gun owners emphasize protection as a major factor influencing their gun ownership.

Consistency Over Time: This perspective has remained relatively stable since a previous survey in 2017, with a modest increase from 67% to 72% in the importance of protection as a motive for gun ownership.

Demographic Insights: Gun ownership remains more common among rural residents (47%) compared to those living in suburbs (30%) or urban areas (20%). Furthermore, Republicans and Republican-leaning independents (45%) are more likely to own guns than Democrats and Democratic leaners (20%).

Sentiments of Gun Owners: A significant majority (71%) of gun owners express enjoyment in owning firearms, while an even larger majority (81%) feel that owning guns contributes to their sense of safety.

Views of Non-Gun Owners: 47% of non-gun owners can envision themselves owning a gun in the future. Conversely, 52% believe they could never own one. These sentiments have remained relatively consistent since 2017.

Gender and Political Disparities: Men non-owners are more open to future gun ownership (56%) than women non-owners (40%). Similarly, Republican non-owners are more inclined (61%) toward potential gun ownership compared to Democratic non-owners (40%).

Racial Perspectives: Among non-owners, a larger share of Black individuals (56%) can foresee themselves owning a gun in the future, compared to White (48%), Hispanic (40%), and Asian (38%) individuals.

Perceptions of Gun Laws: A majority (61%) of Americans believe it is too easy to legally obtain a gun in the country, while 30% deem the current ease as appropriate, and 9% find it too difficult.

Variation by Community Type: Urban (72%) and suburban (63%) residents are more likely to perceive gun acquisition as overly easy compared to rural residents (47%).

Gun Owners vs. Non-Owners: Non-owners (73%) are almost twice as likely as gun owners (38%) to find gun acquisition too easy.

Partisan Divide: A significant proportion of Democrats (86%) believe it is too easy to obtain guns legally, while a smaller share of Republicans (34%) share the same view.

Gun Ownership Statistics: Roughly 32% of adults personally own a gun, and an additional 10% indicate that someone else in their household owns a gun.

Gender and Racial Disparities: Men (40%) are more likely than women (25%) to claim gun ownership. White adults exhibit higher gun ownership rates compared to Black, Hispanic, and Asian adults.

Community Influence: Gun ownership is more prevalent among rural (47%) residents than suburban (30%) or urban (20%) residents.

Political Affiliation: Conservative Republicans (51%) are more likely to own guns compared to moderate and liberal Republicans (38%), moderate and conservative Democrats (24%), and liberal Democrats (16%).

Emotional Connection to Gun Ownership: Gun owners express overwhelmingly positive feelings about owning firearms, including feelings of safety (81%) and enjoyment (71%). However, non-owners in gun households are less likely to share these sentiments.

Divergence in Sentiments: While 57% of non-owners in gun households feel safer due to the presence of guns, only 31% enjoy having a gun at home. In comparison, 71% of gun owners enjoy their ownership.

Concerns and Worries: More non-owners (27%) than owners (12%) express concerns about having guns at home.

What do you think? Click here to review the full study.