Poll shows record high gun ownership among U.S. voters

Gun ownership among voters in the U.S. is at a record high, according to a new poll that has asked the question since 1999.

More than half of American voters — 52% — say they or someone in their household owns a gun, which is the highest percentage in the history of the NBC News poll.

It’s a 6% spike from 2019, when Americans answered the same question in an NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, and a 10% rise from 2013.

“In the last 10 years, we’ve grown [10 points] in gun ownership. That’s a very stunning number,” said Micah Roberts of Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican polling firm that co-conducted the poll with members of the Democratic polling firm Hart Research. “By and large, things don’t change that dramatically that quickly when it comes to something as fundamental as whether you own a gun.”

The poll affirmed the importance of the Second Amendment as violent crime continues to rise in cities across the U.S., according to the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.

“Considering recent history with well-publicized declines in law enforcement ranks, violent crime making headlines on the nightly news and in the morning newspapers, it is no wonder Americans are falling back on the Second Amendment for personal and family safety,” CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb said. “Owning a firearm in this country is a right protected by the Second Amendment and almost all state constitutions, even though far too many politicians treat it as a government-regulated privilege.”

Since 1999, many state gun laws have been loosened to allow civilians to legally carry concealed firearms and cross more state lines with them. Additionally, landmark Supreme Court cases have knocked down decades-old strict gun control regulations in Democrat-dominated states. 

The NBC News poll also divides along political party lines, as in the past. In the survey, 66% of GOP voters say that they or someone in their household owns a firearm, while 45% of independents and 41% of Democrats gave the same response. 

This is a tremendous leap from March 2004, when the NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll found that 57% of GOP voters said they or someone in their household owned a firearm, while 41% of independents and 33% of Democrats said the same.

Although White voters own firearms more often than Black or Hispanic voters, gun ownership in recent years among Black voters has risen significantly.  

According to the NBC News poll, in August 2019, 53% of White voters said that they or someone in their household owned a gun, and 24% of Black voters said the same.

In the latest poll, 56% of White voters said they or someone in their household owns a gun and 41% of Black voters say the same.

“Gun ownership is rising across the national landscape,” Mr. Gottlieb said, “and we are encouraged by what appears to be a cultural shift in America. More people, of all backgrounds, are taking personal responsibility for their safety and that of their families. We appear to be witnessing a significant change in how people look at gun ownership.” 
                                                              
The NBC News poll was conducted Nov. 10-14 and surveyed 1,000 registered voters (833 by cellphone). It has an overall margin of error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points.