Citizens’ main reason for gun ownership is personal protection

Most gun owners say the main reason they have guns is to protect themselves. This was revealed by a Pew Research Center survey. Nearly half of U.S. adults who don't currently own a gun say they could see themselves having one in the future. The study states that "72% of U.S. gun owners say protection is a major reason they own a gun. That far surpasses the shares of gun owners who cite other reasons."

Four out of 10 men say they own a gun

The Pew Research Center survey was conducted June 5-11 among 5,115 members of the nationally representative American Trends Panel. "Few gun owners worry about having a gun in their home. Just 12% of gun owners say they worry about having guns in their home; 88% say they do not," the poll highlighted.

Meanwhile, four out of 10 men say they own a gun. White adults are much more likely than black, Hispanic or Asian adults to own one.

Similarly, the study highlighted that 58% say gun laws should be stricter than they are today, while 26% think they are currently well regulated and 15% favor less stringent gun laws. "The demographics of gun ownership have changed little in recent years. Gun ownership is far more common among residents of rural areas (47%) than among people living in suburbs (30%) or urban areas (20%)," the survey added.