According to a survey conducted in 2023, Americans remain equally divided on whether gun ownership increases safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves or if owning a gun reduces safety by giving too many people access to firearms and increasing misuse. However, Republican respondents and respondents living in rural areas were found more likely than other demographic groups to believe that gun ownership increases safety in the United States, at 79 percent and 65 percent respectively. In comparison, only 21 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of Americans living in urban areas shared this belief.
Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation
Characteristic
Reduces safety by giving too many people access to firearms and increasing misuse
Increases safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves
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Pew Research Center. (September 13, 2023). Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved November 19, 2024, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/
Pew Research Center. "Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation." Chart. September 13, 2023. Statista. Accessed November 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/
Pew Research Center. (2023). Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: November 19, 2024. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/
Pew Research Center. "Share of Adults Who Believe That Gun Ownership Reduces or Increases Safety in The United States in 2023, by Demographic and Party Affiliation." Statista, Statista Inc., 13 Sep 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/
Pew Research Center, Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/ (last visited November 19, 2024)
Share of adults who believe that gun ownership reduces or increases safety in the United States in 2023, by demographic and party affiliation [Graph], Pew Research Center, September 13, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1460057/us-views-on-whether-gun-ownership-increases-or-reduces-safety/
