Characteristics of current firearm owners (n=1630) by motivation, the USA, 2023
| Characteristic | Primary motivation for owning a firearm | |||
| N | Protection (N=1284) | Other (N=346) | P value* | |
| All respondents | 1630 | 78.8 (76, 81) | 21.2 (19, 24) | |
| Sociodemographics | ||||
| Age, years | 1630 | 50.0 (15.9) | 53.5 (16.5) | 0.032 |
| Gender | 1630 | <0.001 | ||
| Male | 67.4 (64.0, 71.0) | 87.2 (83.0, 90.0) | ||
| Female | 32.4 (29.0, 36.0) | 12.5 (9.2, 17.0) | ||
| Transgender | 0.1 (0.04, 0.37) | 0.4 (0.11, 1.3) | ||
| Race | 1628 | <0.001 | ||
| White | 72.1 (69.0, 75.0) | 85.5 (81.0, 89.0) | ||
| Black | 11.7 (9.9, 14.0) | 2.2 (1.3, 3.9) | ||
| Hispanic | 12.6 (11.0, 15.0) | 9.4 (6.9, 13.0) | ||
| Asian | 1.4 (0.77, 2.6) | 1.1 (0.29, 3.7) | ||
| Other | 2.2 (1.5, 3.1) | 1.8 (1.1, 3.0) | ||
| Education | 1619 | 0.082 | ||
| Less than high school | 1.4 (0.36, 5.5) | 4.7 (1.6, 13) | ||
| High school | 26.5 (22.0, 31.0) | 18.2 (12.0, 26.0) | ||
| Some college | 4.8 (3.8, 6.1) | 7.9 (5.2, 12.0) | ||
| Bachelor’s degree or higher | 67.2 (63.0, 71.0) | 69.2 (61.0, 76.0) | ||
| Employment status | 1598 | 0.063 | ||
| Full time or part time | 68.2 (65.0, 72.0) | 61.4 (55.0, 68.0) | ||
| Not employed | 31.8 (28.0, 35.0) | 38.6 (32.0, 45.0) | ||
| Annual household income, US$ | 1498 | 0.3 | ||
| <US$36 000 | 13.2 (11.0, 17.0) | 10.2 (5.9, 17.0) | ||
| US$36 000–US$59 999 | 16.6 (14.0, 20.0) | 14.9 (10.0, 21.0) | ||
| US$60 000–US$119 999 | 40.1 (36.0, 44.0) | 36.6 (30.0, 43.0) | ||
| US$120 000+ | 30.1 (27.0, 34.0) | 38.3 (31.0, 46.0) | ||
| Community of residence | 1630 | 0.055 | ||
| Urban | 16.7 (14.0, 20.0) | 10.2 (7.3, 14.0) | ||
| Suburban | 50.3 (46.0, 54.0) | 51.4 (44.0, 59.0) | ||
| Rural | 33.1 (30.0, 37.0) | 38.4 (32.0, 46.0) | ||
| Marital status | 1630 | 0.13 | ||
| Single/never married | 17.8 (14.0, 22.0) | 14.0 (8.6, 22.0) | ||
| Married/partnered | 68.2 (64.0, 72.0) | 76.4 (69.0, 82.0) | ||
| Divorced/separated/widowed | 14.0 (12.0, 16.0) | 9.6 (7.0, 13.0) | ||
| Children (<18 year) living in the household | 1613 | 0.15 | ||
| Yes | 31.0 (27.0, 35.0) | 24.9 (19.0, 32.0) | ||
| No | 69.0 (65.0, 73.0) | 75.1 (68.0, 81.0) | ||
| Served in US military | 1293 | 0.2 | ||
| Yes | 19.0 (16.0, 22.0) | 22.7 (18.0, 29.0) | ||
| No | 81.0 (78.0, 84.0) | 77.3 (71.0, 82.0) | ||
| Religion | 1602 | 0.11 | ||
| Christian (eg, Protestant, Catholic) | 74.2 (70.0, 78.0) | 66.4 (59.0, 73.0) | ||
| Non-Christian (eg, Jewish, Muslim) | 2.3 (1.5, 3.4) | 3.0 (1.4, 6.5) | ||
| No religion (eg, atheistic, agnostic) | 23.5 (20.0, 27.0) | 30.6 (24.0, 38.0) | ||
| Political affiliation | 1577 | 0.2 | ||
| Republican | 40.3 (36.0, 44.0) | 34.3 (28.0, 41.0) | ||
| Democrat | 17.4 (15.0, 20.0) | 21.9 (17.0, 28.0) | ||
| Independent party/other | 42.3 (38.0, 46.0) | 43.8 (37.0, 51.0) | ||
| Contextual factors relating to firearm interactions and societal attitudes | ||||
| Grew up with a firearm in the home | 1606 | <0.001 | ||
| Yes | 80.9 (77.0, 84.0) | 91.0 (87.0, 94.0) | ||
| No | 19.1 (16.0, 23.0) | 9.0 (6.3, 13.0) | ||
| Know of anyone who has been shot or killed by firearm | 1582 | >0.9 | ||
| Yes | 35.6 (32.0, 39.0) | 36.0 (30.0, 43.0) | ||
| No | 64.4 (61.0, 68.0) | 64.0 (57.0, 70.0) | ||
| Believe that others’ have clear moral standards | 1630 | 3.8 (1.2) | 3.8 (1.3) | 0.4 |
| Believe that people know who they can trust/rely on | 1630 | 2.9 (1.2) | 3.3 (1.2) | <0.001 |
| Firearm motivations and behaviours | ||||
| Type of firearm owned | 1627 | <0.001 | ||
| Handgun only | 34.2 (30.0, 38.0) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | ||
| Long gun only | 5.6 (4.0, 7.7) | 0.0 (0.0, 0.0) | ||
| Handgun and long gun | 60.2 (56.0, 64.0) | 100.0 (100.0, 100.0) | ||
| Number of firearms owned | 1030 | 0.011 | ||
| 1 | 0.4 (0.13, 1.2) | 0.6 (0.12, 3.1) | ||
| 2 | 15.8 (13.0, 20.0) | 9.5 (6.7, 13.0) | ||
| 3 | 19.1 (15.0, 24.0) | 11.9 (7.4, 19.0) | ||
| 4+ | 64.7 (60.0, 70.0) | 77.9 (71.0, 84.0) | ||
| Purchased a firearm for the first time in the last 12 months | 1630 | 0.023 | ||
| Yes | 6.3 (4.0, 9.6) | 2.1 (0.81, 5.1) | ||
| No | 93.7 (90.0, 96.0) | 97.9 (95.0, 99.0) | ||
| Carried a firearm outside of their home | 1630 | 0.059 | ||
| Never | 41.9 (38.0, 46.0) | 49.6 (42.0, 57.0) | ||
| Once or more | 58.1 (54.0, 62.0) | 50.4 (43.0, 58.0) | ||
| Carried for protection | 919 | 0.022 | ||
| Yes | 5.6 (3.3, 9.2) | 1.4 (0.42, 4.5) | ||
| No | 94.4 (91.0, 97.0) | 98.6 (95.0, 100.0) | ||
| Carried for recreation | 921 | <0.001 | ||
| Yes | 58.8 (53.0, 64.0) | 87.2 (81.0, 92.0) | ||
| No | 41.2 (36.0, 47.0) | 12.8 (8.2, 19.0) | ||
Percentages (%) and corresponding 95% CI are given for categorical variables while mean and SD are given for continuous variables. N represents the effective sample size and deviate from unweighted sample sizes.
*Wilcoxon rank-sum test for complex survey samples; χ2 test with Rao and Scott’s second-order correction.