A recent national poll by NBC News reveals an unprecedented increase in gun ownership in the US, with 52 percent of participants acknowledging firearm possession either personally or by someone in their household. This marks a notable rise from the 46 percent reported in 2019 and 42 percent in 2013, setting a new record since the survey's inception in 1999.
Micah Roberts from Public Opinion Strategies, a Republican agency, teamed up with Hart Research, a Democratic pollster, and was astonished by the findings. "In the last 10 years, we've grown [10 points] in gun ownership. That's a very stunning number… By and large, things don't change that dramatically that quickly, especially with something as fundamental as gun ownership," he told the press.
The survey underscores the political divide in gun ownership. In November, it found that 66 percent of Republicans, compared to 45 percent of independents and 41 percent of Democrats, reported having a gun in their household. More so, gun ownership among Democrats has reached its highest point this year, surpassing any year since 2004.
In line with the survey results, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) documented a sharp rise in gun sales the previous month, placing it as the third-highest October on record for federal gun transfer background checks. October 2023 saw the completion of over 1.3 million checks, marking an 8.4 percent increase compared to October 2022.
Mark Oliva from NSSF attributes the recent surge in gun sales to the latest events like the Hamas’ October 7 attack in Israel and a subsequent mass shooting in Maine, US. He alluded that these events might have contributed to the spike in American firearms purchases. He emphasizes that this increase underscores the value Americans place on their Second Amendment rights.