According to a survey, nearly 20% of Americans have lost their family members due to gun violence, but their willingness to buy guns remains undiminished. Adults | Guns | Americans
On August 18, 2023, a March 2023 survey conducted by the Caesar Family Foundation, targeting American adults and representing the United States, asked, "Have you ever had a family member shot, including suicide and homicide?" The results showed that 19% of people said yes, 73% said no, and 8% said they don't know.
The survey was conducted online and over the phone in English and Spanish, with an error of plus or minus 3 percentage points.
According to temporary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States as of August 14, 2023, 56% of the 48187 shooting deaths in the United States in 2022 were suicides. In the same year, homicide accounted for 41% of gun deaths.
According to KFF's 2022 report, in 2020, the number of gun suicides in states with the least gun laws was more than twice that in states with the most gun laws.
However, the increase in gun violence as a public health issue has not made firearms less popular in the United States. According to a recent survey by the Pew Research Center, nearly two-thirds of American adults say they own firearms or may purchase them in the future.
In the survey, nearly half of non gun owners stated that they may purchase firearms. In addition, 32% of respondents reported owning firearms, a 2% increase from surveys conducted by the Pew Research Center in 2021 and 2017.
Among nearly 5000 respondents, nearly 75% stated that protecting their own safety is the main reason they own firearms. Only 32% and 30% of people stated that their main purpose of owning firearms is for hunting and sports shooting.
The proportion of American adults aged 50 and above owning firearms is the highest, while the proportion of adults aged 18 to 29 owning firearms is the lowest. The proportion of white adults owning firearms is the highest, while the proportion of Asian adults owning firearms is the lowest. The proportion of people who own firearms is much higher in rural areas than in suburban or urban areas.
Although most American adults own or will own firearms in the future, 61% of people also believe that obtaining firearms legally in the United States is too easy.
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