Fun Facts About Gun Ownership in America

The United States of America is home to the largest population of gun owners in the entire world. According to the National Instant Criminal Background Check or NICS, run by the FBI, background checks for firearms were at an all-time high back in 2020 39+ million checks compared to 28+ million plus for the year prior. Between the civil unrest and the economic downturn from both the pandemic and inflation it is easy to see why these numbers are higher than ever before. 2021 saw the same 38+ million background checks as 2020 did, but so far this year we are sitting at right about some 18+ million checks, so the numbers have leveled off quite a bit as we return to some semblance of normalcy.

The number of guns in the U.S. are just about 400 million which leaves you with a figure of 1.2 guns for every person in this country. Gun sales peaked in 2020 with a record-breaking 23+ million guns sold. This uptick in sales is due in part to some of the biggest gun retailers being on American soil, as well as in increase in guns imported from the likes of Europe and Asia. In fact, 60 % of all overseas gun imports were handguns in the year of 2020.