Gun ownership

A gun store in Prague, Czech Republic.
A gun store in Wenatchee, Washington, in the United States

Gun ownership is the act of owning a gun. In 2018, Small Arms Survey reported that there are over one billion small arms distributed globally, of which 857 million (about 85 percent) are in civilian hands.[1][2] U.S. civilians alone account for 393 million (about 46 percent) of the worldwide total of civilian held firearms.[3] This amounts to "120.5 firearms for every 100 residents."[4]

The worlds armed forces control about 133 million (about 13 percent) of the global total of small arms, of which over 43 percent belonging to two countries the Russian Federation (30.3 million) and China (27.5 million).[5] Law enforcement agencies control about 23 million (about 2 percent) of the global total of small arms.[6]

Global distribution of civilian-held firearms

World Wide Civilian Firearms Holdings, 2017[7][8]
Countries & Territories Estimate of firearms in civilian possession Population 2017 Estimate of civilian firearms per 100 persons
Afghanistan4,270,00034,169,00012.5
Albania350,0002,911,00012.0
Algeria877,00041,064,0002.1
American Samoa40056,0000.7
Andorra10,00069,00014.1
Angola2,982,00026,656,00011.2
Antigua and Barbuda5,00094,0005.4
Argentina3,256,00044,272,0007.4
Armenia186,0003,032,0006.1
Aruba3,000105,0002.6
Australia3,573,00024,642,00014.5
Austria2,577,0008,592,00030.0
Azerbaijan362,0009,974,0003.6
Bahamas74,000397,00018.8
Bahrain181,0001,419,00012.8
Bangladesh659,000164,828,0000.4
Barbados10,000286,0003.5
Belarus581,0009,459,0006.1
Belgium1,451,00011,444,00012.7
Belize37,000375,00010.0
Benin33,00011,459,0000.3
Bermuda3,00061,0004.6
Bhutan6,000793,0000.8
Bolivia218,00011,053,0002.0
Bosnia and Herzegovina1,185,0003,793,00031.2
Botswana97,0002,344,0004.1
Brazil17,510,000211,243,0008.3
Brunei Darussalam6,000434,0001.4
Bulgaria590,0007,045,0008.4
Burkina Faso175,00019,173,0000.9
Burundi238,00011,936,0002.0
Cabo Verde (Cape Verde)31,000533,0005.7
Cambodia717,00016,076,0004.5
Cameroon510,00024,514,0002.1
Canada12,708,00036,626,00034.7
Cayman Islands6,00062,0009.2
Central African Republic94,0005,099,0001.8
Chad151,00014,965,0001.0
Channel Islands23,000165,00014.0
Chile2,220,00018,313,00012.1
China49,735,0001,388,233,0003.6
China, Macao SAR22,000606,0003.6
Christmas Island02,0000.0
Colombia4,971,00049,068,00010.1
Comoros12,000826,0001.5
Congo, Republic of119,0004,866,0002.4
Costa Rica493,0004,906,00010.0
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)1,049,00023,816,0004.4
Croatia576,0004,210,00013.7
Cuba234,00011,390,0002.1
Curaçao4,000160,0002.6
Cyprus, North61,000349,00017.4
Cyprus, Rep. of285,000839,00034.0
Czech Republic1,323,00010,555,00012.5
Democratic Republic of Congo946,00082,243,0001.2
Denmark567,0005,712,0009.9
Djibouti28,000911,0003.1
Dominica5,00073,0006.2
Dominican Republic795,00010,767,0007.4
Ecuador402,00016,626,0002.4
Egypt3,931,00095,215,0004.1
El Salvador737,0006,167,00012.0
England and Wales2,731,00058,877,0004.6
Equatorial Guinea112,000894,00012.5
Eritrea23,0005,482,0000.4
Estonia65,0001,306,0005.0
Ethiopia377,000104,345,0000.4
Falkland Islands2,0003,00062.1
Faroe Islands5,00049,0009.9
Fiji5,000903,0000.5
Finland1,793,0005,541,00032.4
France12,732,00064,939,00019.6
French Guiana55,000283,00019.6
French Polynesia7,000289,0002.5
Gabon61,0001,801,0003.4
Gambia137,0002,120,0006.5
Georgia402,0003,973,00010.1
Germany15,822,00080,636,00019.6
Ghana2,280,00028,657,0008.0
Gibraltar1,00032,0004.1
Greece1,920,00010,893,00017.6
Greenland13,00056,00022.3
Grenada5,000108,0004.6
Guadeloupe40,000472,0008.5
Guam20,000174,00011.5
Guatemala2,062,00017,005,00012.1
Guinea130,00013,291,0001.0
Guinea-Bissau29,0001,933,0001.5
Guyana122,000774,00015.8
Haiti291,00010,983,0002.6
Holy See01,0000.0
Honduras1,171,0008,305,00014.1
Hong Kong SAR, China265,0007,402,0003.6
Hungary1,023,0009,788,00010.5
Iceland106,000334,00031.7
India71,101,0001,342,513,0005.3
Indonesia82,000263,510,0000.0
Iran, Islamic Republic of5,890,00080,946,0007.3
Iraq7,588,00038,654,00019.6
Ireland342,0004,749,0007.2
Israel557,0008,323,0006.7
Italy8,609,00059,798,00014.4
Jamaica246,0002,813,0008.8
Japan377,000126,045,0000.3
Jordan1,473,0007,877,00018.7
Kazakhstan504,00018,064,0002.8
Kenya750,00048,467,0001.5
Kiribati900116,0000.8
Korea, DPR (North)76,00025,405,0000.3
Korea, Republic of (South)79,00050,705,0000.2
Kosovo436,0001,831,00023.8
Kuwait685,0004,100,00016.7
Kyrgyzstan171,0006,125,0002.8
Lao, People's Democratic Republic215,0007,038,0003.0
Latvia205,0001,945,00010.5
Lebanon1,927,0006,039,00031.9
Lesotho105,0002,185,0004.8
Liberia97,0004,730,0002.1
Libya851,0006,409,00013.3
Liechtenstein11,00038,00028.8
Lithuania385,0002,831,00013.6
Luxembourg110,000584,00018.9
Macedonia, Former Yugoslav Republic of621,0002,083,00029.8
Madagascar168,00025,613,0000.7
Malawi47,00018,299,0000.3
Malaysia217,00031,164,0000.7
Maldives23,000376,0006.2
Mali206,00018,690,0001.1
Malta119,000421,00028.3
Marshall Islands30053,0000.5
Martinique34,000396,0008.5
Mauritania120,0004,266,0002.8
Mauritius106,0001,281,0008.3
Mexico16,809,000130,223,00012.9
Micronesia, Fed. Sts.700106,0000.7
Moldova, Republic of121,0004,055,0003.0
Monaco7,00038,00019.6
Mongolia242,0003,052,0007.9
Montenegro245,000626,00039.1
Montserrat3005,0005.4
Morocco1,690,00035,241,0004.8
Mozambique1,337,00029,538,0004.5
Myanmar877,00054,836,0001.6
Namibia396,0002,569,00015.4
Nauru010,0000.0
Nepal444,00029,187,0001.5
Netherlands442,00017,033,0002.6
New Caledonia115,000270,00042.5
New Zealand1,212,0004,605,00026.3
Nicaragua323,0006,218,0005.2
Niger117,00021,564,0000.5
Nigeria6,154,000191,836,0003.2
Northern Ireland206,0001,873,00011.0
Northern Mariana Islands1,00056,0002.6
Norway1,537,0005,331,00028.8
Oman792,0004,741,00016.7
Pakistan43,917,000196,744,00022.3
Palau10022,0000.5
Palestinian Territories56,0004,952,0001.1
Panama436,0004,051,00010.8
Papua New Guinea79,0007,934,0001.0
Paraguay1,140,0006,812,00016.7
Peru633,00032,166,0002.0
Philippines3,776,000103,797,0003.6
Poland968,00038,564,0002.5
Portugal2,186,00010,265,00021.3
Puerto Rico422,0003,679,00011.5
Puntland246,0001,995,00012.3
Qatar390,0002,338,00016.7
Réunion171,000873,00019.6
Romania506,00019,238,0002.6
Russian Federation17,620,000143,375,00012.3
Rwanda66,00012,160,0000.5
Saint Kitts and Nevis2,00057,0003.4
Saint Lucia6,000188,0003.4
Saint Martin (France)3,00032,0008.5
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines4,000110,0003.4
Samoa20,000196,00010.1
San Marino5,00032,00014.4
São Tomé and Principe7,000198,0003.4
Saudi Arabia5,468,00032,743,00016.7
Scotland305,0005,436,0005.6
Senegal323,00016,054,0002.0
Serbia2,719,0006,946,00039.1
Seychelles4,00098,0004.1
Sierra Leone35,0006,733,0000.5
Singapore20,0005,785,0000.3
Sint Maarten (Netherlands)2,00040,0004.2
Slovakia355,0005,432,0006.5
Slovenia324,0002,071,00015.6
Solomon Islands1,000606,0000.2
Somalia1,145,0009,225,00012.4
Somaliland456,0003,823,00011.9
South Africa5,351,00055,436,0009.7
South Sudan1,255,00013,096,0009.6
Spain3,464,00046,070,0007.5
Sri Lanka494,00020,905,0002.4
Sudan2,768,00042,166,0006.6
Suriname88,000552,00015.9
Swaziland64,0001,320,0004.8
Sweden2,296,0009,921,00023.1
Switzerland2,332,0008,454,00027.6
Syrian Arab Republic1,547,00018,907,0008.2
Taiwan (Rep. of China)10,00023,405,0000.0
Tajikistan37,0008,858,0000.4
Tanzania, United Republic of Africa427,00056,878,0000.8
Thailand10,342,00068,298,00015.1
Timor-Leste (East Timor)3,0001,237,0000.3
Togo58,0007,692,0000.8
Tonga9,000108,0008.0
Trinidad and Tobago43,0001,369,0003.2
Tunisia123,00011,495,0001.1
Turkey13,249,00080,418,00016.5
Turkmenistan23,0005,503,0000.4
Turks and Caicos Islands1,00035,0003.3
Tuvalu10010,0001.2
Uganda331,00041,653,0000.8
Ukraine4,396,00044,405,0009.9
United Arab Emirates1,569,0009,398,00016.7
United Kingdom
Combined numbers for (England and Wales), (Northern Ireland) & (Scotland).		3,242,00066,186,0004.9
United States of America393,347,000326,474,000120.5
Uruguay1,198,0003,457,00034.7
Uzbekistan127,00030,691,0000.4
Vanuatu11,000276,0003.9
Venezuela5,895,00031,926,00018.5
Vietnam1,562,00095,415,0001.6
Virgin Islands (U.K.)30031,0000.8
Virgin Islands (U.S.)18,000107,00016.6
Yemen14,859,00028,120,00052.8
Zambia158,00017,238,0000.9
Zimbabwe455,00016,338,0002.8

American gun ownership

American gun show, Houston, Texas.

"Americans made up 4 percent of the world's population but owned about 46 percent of the entire global stock of 857 million civilian firearms."[9] U.S civilians own 393 million guns. That is 3 times as many guns as the armed forces of the Russian Federation (30.3 million), China (27.5 million), North Korea (8.4 million), Ukraine (6.6 million), United States (4.5 million), India (3.9 million), Vietnam (3.8 million), Iran (3.3 million), South Korea (2.7 million), Pakistan (2.3 million), and all the other countries (39.7 million) combined.[10] American civilians own more guns "than those held by civilians in the other top 25 countries combined."[11]

"American civilians own nearly 100 times as many firearms as the U.S. military and nearly 400 times as many as law enforcement."[12] Americans bought more than 2 million guns in May, 2018, alone.[13] That is more than twice as many guns, as possessed by every law enforcement agency in the United States put together.[14] In April and May of 2018, U.S. civilians bought 4.7 million guns, that's more than all the firearms stockpiled by the United States military.[15] In 2017, Americans bought 25.2 million guns, that's 2.5 million more guns than possessed by every law enforcement agency in the world put together.[16] Between 2012 and 2017, U.S. civilians bought 135 million guns, that's 2 million more guns than the combined stockpile of all the world's armed forces.[17]

Association with rates of violence

Violent crime in the United States per the Uniform Crime Report (UCR).[18]

Some studies suggest that higher rates of gun ownership are associated with higher homicide rates,[19][20][21] although Gary Kleck argues that the highest-quality studies show that gun ownership does not increase homicide rates.[22] Higher rates of gun ownership are also associated with higher suicide rates[23][24] and higher accidental gun death rates.[25][26][27] The availability of illegal guns, but not that of legal guns, is associated with higher rates of violent crime.[28] Studies have shown that 36.3% of people had access to a gun and 5% carried the gun with them. However 7.3% stored their guns in an unsafe place. Certain people have blamed individuals with mental disorders for being dangerous and violent with the use of guns. Nonetheless, other studies have been conducted and show that 34.1% have access to guns. 4.8% carry a gun with them and 6.2% store the gun in an unsafe manner. The statistics show that gun ownership is significantly high in both sets of individuals, however, none of the figures show people with a mental illness are as dangerous with guns than people with perfect mental health.[29] An international study by UNICRI researchers from 2001 examined the link between household gun ownership and overall homicide, overall suicide, as well as gun homicide and gun suicide rates amongst 21 countries. Significant correlations between household gun ownership and rates of gun suicides for both genders, and gun homicide rates involving female victims were found. There were no significant correlations detected for total homicide and suicide rates, as well as gun homicide rates involving male victims.[30] This study has been criticized for combining high-income countries (like the United States) with middle-income countries (like Estonia); if middle-income countries are excluded from the analysis, a strong relationship emerges between gun ownership and homicide.[31] However the Hemenway study has been criticized in response as well. When removing the United States as an outlier and using the superior proxy of gun ownership in the study (percentage of firearm suicides over all suicides), the relationship ceases to be significant. The association between gun ownership and homicide rates across nations is dependent on the inclusion of the U.S.[32] A study by the Flemish Peace Institute looking at firearms ownership amongst European nations and associated homicide, suicide, gun homicide, and gun suicide found no significant correlation with gun ownership by European nations and total homicide, total suicide rates, gun homicide rates involving both genders, and male gun homicide rates. An association was found for gun suicide rates and female gun homicide rates replicating the Killias' study done in 2001.[33] Studies in Canada that examined the levels of gun ownership by province have found no correlations with provincial overall suicide rates.[34] A 2011 study conducted looking at the effects of gun control legislation passed in Canada and the associated effects in homicide rates found no significant association.[35] A case-control study conducted in New Zealand looking at household gun ownership and the risk of suicides found no significant associations.[36]


Further reading

  • Krouse, William J. (14 November 2012). Gun Control Legislation (PDF). Congressional Research Service.
  • The Washington Post article (June 2018)
  • Time article (June 2018)
  • The Washington Free Beacon article (June 2018)
  • The New York Times (June 2018)
  • The Guardian article (June 2018)
  • Newsweek article (June 2018)
  • The Star Tribune article (June 2018)
  • The Associated Press article (June 2018)
  • Reuters article (June 2018)
  • New York Daily News article (June 2018)

References

  1. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/about-us/highlights/2018/highlight-bp-firearms-holdings.html Small Arms Survey reveals: More than one billion firearms in the world
  2. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf Estimating Global CivilianHELD Firearms Numbers. Aaron Karp. June 2018
  3. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf Estimating Global CivilianHELD Firearms Numbers. Aaron Karp. June 2018
  4. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf Estimating Global CivilianHELD Firearms Numbers. Aaron Karp. June 2018
  5. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/about-us/highlights/2018/highlight-bp-firearms-holdings.html Small Arms Survey reveals: More than one billion firearms in the world
  6. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/de/about-us/highlights/2018/highlight-bp-firearms-holdings.html Small Arms Survey reveals: More than one billion firearms in the world
  7. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Civilian-Firearms-Numbers.pdf June 2018, Estimating Global Civilian Held Firearms Numbers by Aaron Karp
  8. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/Weapons_and_Markets/Tools/Firearms_holdings/SAS-BP-Civilian-held-firearms-annexe.pdf
  9. ↑ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2018/06/19/there-are-more-guns-than-people-in-the-united-states-according-to-a-new-study-of-global-firearm-ownership/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.95af173bb5f2 The Washington Post. There are more guns than people in the United States, according to a new study of global firearm ownership. By Christopher Ingraham. June 19 2018
  10. ↑ http://www.smallarmssurvey.org/fileadmin/docs/T-Briefing-Papers/SAS-BP-Military-Firearms-Numbers.pdf Estimating Global Military owned Firearms Numbers. By Aaron Karp June, 2018
  11. ↑ http://time.com/5315400/gun-ownership-america/ Americans Own 46% of the World's 1 Billion Guns, Says U.N. Report
  12. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  13. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  14. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  15. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  16. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  17. ↑ http://freebeacon.com/culture/report-nearly-400-million-civilian-owned-guns-america/ Report: Nearly 400 Million Civilian-Owned Guns in America. Civilians own 100 times as many guns as the military, 400 times as many as police. BY: Stephen Gutowski. June 21, 2018
  18. ↑ "Uniform Crime Reporting Statistics". Ucrdatatool.gov. Retrieved 2016-07-18.
  19. ↑ Miller, Matthew; Azrael, Deborah; Hemenway, David (December 2002). "Rates of Household Firearm Ownership and Homicide Across US Regions and States, 1988–1997". American Journal of Public Health. 92 (12): 1988–1993. doi:10.2105/AJPH.92.12.1988. PMC 1447364. PMID 12453821.
  20. ↑ Hoskin, Anthony W. (September 2001). "Armed Americans: The impact of firearm availability on national homicide rates". Justice Quarterly. 18 (3): 569–592. doi:10.1080/07418820100095021.
  21. ↑ Miller, Matthew; Hemenway, David; Azrael, Deborah (February 2007). "State-level homicide victimization rates in the US in relation to survey measures of household firearm ownership, 2001–2003". Social Science & Medicine. 64 (3): 656–664. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2006.09.024.
  22. ↑ Kleck, Gary (January 2015). "The Impact of Gun Ownership Rates on Crime Rates: A Methodological Review of the Evidence". Journal of Criminal Justice. 43 (1): 40–48. doi:10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2014.12.002.
  23. ↑ Anestis, MD; Houtsma, C (13 March 2017). "The Association Between Gun Ownership and Statewide Overall Suicide Rates". Suicide & Life-Threatening Behavior. doi:10.1111/sltb.12346. PMID 28294383.
  24. ↑ Westefeld, John S.; Gann, Lianne C.; Lustgarten, Samuel D.; Yeates, Kevin J. (2016). "Relationships between firearm availability and suicide: The role of psychology". Professional Psychology: Research and Practice. 47 (4): 271–277. doi:10.1037/pro0000089.
  25. ↑ Miller, M; Azrael, D; Hemenway, D (February 2002). "Firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths, suicide, and homicide among 5-14 year olds". The Journal of Trauma. 52 (2): 267–74, discussion 274-5. doi:10.1097/00005373-200202000-00011. PMID 11834986.
  26. ↑ Miller, M. (1 March 2002). "Firearm Availability and Suicide, Homicide, and Unintentional Firearm Deaths Among Women". Journal of Urban Health. 79 (1): 26–38. doi:10.1093/jurban/79.1.26. PMC 3456383.
  27. ↑ Miller, Mathew; Azrael, Deborah; Hemenway, David (July 2001). "Firearm availability and unintentional firearm deaths". Accident Analysis & Prevention. Elsevier. 33 (4): 477–484. doi:10.1016/S0001-4575(00)00061-0.
  28. ↑ Stolzenberg, L.; D'Alessio, S. J. (1 June 2000). "Gun Availability and Violent Crime: New Evidence from the National Incident-Based Reporting System". Social Forces. 78 (4): 1461–1482. doi:10.1093/sf/78.4.1461.
  29. ↑ Swanson, Jeffrey W.; McGinty, E. Elizabeth; Fazel, Seena; Mays, Vickie M. (2015-05-01). "Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: bringing epidemiologic research to policy". Annals of Epidemiology. 25 (5): 366–376. doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.03.004.
  30. ↑ https://pure.uvt.nl/portal/files/5263789/GunsKilliasvKesteren.pdf
  31. ↑ Hemenway, David (June 2009). "Don B. Kates and Gary Mauser. "Would Banning Firearms Reduce Murder and Suicide? A Review of International and Some Domestic Evidence" Harvard Journal of Law and Policy" (PDF). Retrieved 2018-10-11.
  32. ↑ https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=203876
  33. ↑ https://www.flemishpeaceinstitute.eu/sites/vlaamsvredesinstituut.eu/files/wysiwyg/firearms_and_violent_deaths_in_europe_web.pdf
  34. ↑ http://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/csj-sjc/jsp-sjp/wd98_4-dt98_4/p4.html
  35. ↑ http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0886260511433515
  36. ↑ http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.3109/00048679609065040
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