Gun ownership at record high, firearms in majority of households: survey

American gun ownership has reached a record high, with a majority of voters saying either they or someone in their household owns a firearm.

Fifty-two percent of voters said they or a household member owned a gun in a recent NBC News survey. The result marked the highest level of household gun ownership in the poll's history.

That figure included 66% of Republicans, 45% of independents, and 41% of Democrats, all three of which have witnessed a net increase in gun ownership since 2004. In March of that year, 57% of Republicans reported that either they or a household member owned a gun, with 41% of independents and 33% of Democrats saying the same.

Independent gun ownership peaked at 49% in 2013, before dropping to 46% in 2019 and 45% in the latest survey. Democrats, meanwhile, saw a decline in gun ownership from 2004 to 2013, falling to 30%, before rising to 33% in 2019 and surging to 41% in 2023.

The survey was conducted jointly by Republican-leaning firm Public Opinion Strategies and the Democratic-aligned Hart Research.

"In the last ten years, we've grown [10 points] in gun ownership. That's a very stunning number. By and large, things don't change that dramatically that quickly when it comes to something as fundamental as whether you own a gun," Public Opinion Strategies' Micah Roberts said.

Conducted Nov. 10-14, the survey questioned 1,000 registered voters and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1%.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.