Personal safety and protection is the most popular reason to own a firearm, according to a Gallup poll.
The poll found that 60 percent of those who responded said they owned a gun for personal protection, with hunting ranking second at 36 percent.
In third place, 13 percent of respondents cited general recreation and sports as their reason for being a gun owner.
Those who responded to the poll answered the open-ended question “what are some of the reasons why you own a gun?” and could provide up to three answers.
Other answers include Second Amendment rights at just 5 percent, working in a related line of work like military or police at 3 percent — and 4 percent said it was a family tradition to own a gun.
The results come from phone interviews conducted Oct. 3-6 with more than 300 gun owners across the country.
• Jacqueline Klimas can be reached at jklimas@washingtontimes.com.
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