U.S. support for protecting or limiting gun ownership rights 2024

According to a survey conducted in June 2024, Americans were divided on whether it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns, or if it was more important to limit gun ownership. 48 percent of of respondents said that it was more important to limit gun ownership, while 51 percent felt it was more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns.

Demographics of gun ownership

Gun ownership varies among many demographics such as age, political party affiliation, and educational attainment. A majority of Republican respondents in 2022 said that they either owned a gun or lived in a gun household, while less than a third of Democrats said they owned a gun or lived in a gun household. Furthermore, it was those with some college, but no degree, and those between the ages of 35 and 54 years old who were more likely to own a gun compared to other education levels and ages.

Politics of gun ownership

Gun ownership is a highly partisan issue in the United States, with Democrats typically in favor of strong gun control laws, while Republicans are in favor of looser laws. The Second Amendment of the Constitution states that citizens have the right to bear arms, however, the interpretation of that has been highly contested across the country, largely in part due to the number of mass shootings that happen yearly. Those in favor of stricter gun control laws claim that fewer mass shootings would happen, while those opposed to these laws claim that the violence would just happen in another manner, anyway. Despite the high number of shootings, Congress has been unable to come up with federal bipartisan legislation to stop mass shootings.