NSSF recently performed a comprehensive study on handgun ownership, interviewing over 100,000 gun owners. Some of the results were surprising, some not so much. I’ll break them down one at a time.
The majority of gun owners have more than one handgun, actually averaging about 7.4 guns per person. Only 10% of respondents owned a single gun. Most of the guns were purchased new, the most popular being 9 mm, followed by .45 ACP and then .22.
Multiple gun owners are motivated, averaging 26 days on a range, while firing almost 1,600 rounds. About 70% intended to buy another handgun within the next year.
Single gun owners are different, being a little younger – averaging 50 years old vs. 56 years for multiple gun owners. Just over half of them (52%) bought their gun in the last five years, with 16% being purchased online. About 54% intend to buy another gun in the next year.
Single gun owners bought their guns for personal defense (42%) and non-competitive shooting (28%), and 33% have concealed carry permits.
As far as ammo goes, 73% purchased is centerfire, with 27% rimfire. Averages (before ammo became scarce!) were 200 rounds of centerfire and 506 of rimfire, slightly more than a “brick.”
Almost 70% of shooters like to shoot with friends, and almost 60% introduced someone else to shooting in the past 12 months. Fifty-two percent of those surveyed shoot on private land (maybe showing where they live), 42% go to public ranges, and 33% shoot at private gun clubs.