A gun-owning nation

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By the Numbers

Illustration by Krieg Barrie

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393M

The estimated number of firearms in civilian hands in the United States, according to Switzerland-based Small Arms Survey. The survey, conducted most recently in 2018, estimated that Americans own nearly half of the world’s civilian firearms. However, high rates of gun ownership don’t necessarily correlate with high homicide rates. New Hampshire, North Dakota, and Maine—the states with the lowest homicide rates, according to the World Population Review—have higher-than-average rates of gun ownership, according to the Rand Corp. A bipartisan group of senators announced the framework of a deal June 12 that would extend background checks for gun buyers under 21.

120.5

The number of civilian firearms per 100 Americans, by far the highest rate in the world.

7.5M

The number of Americans who became first-time gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021, according to the Annals of Internal Medicine.

45,222

The number of deaths attributed to gunshot injuries in 2020, according to the CDC. Of those, 54 percent were ruled suicides.

31.9%

The share of Americans who own a firearm, according to the National Firearms Survey. Gun owners have an average of five firearms.

42.2%

The share of American gun owners who are female, according to the National Firearms Survey.

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