The number of gun owners who carried a firearm every day doubled from 2015 to 2019, according to a new research.
About 6 million people carried a handgun (not in a car) daily in 2019, up from about 3 million in 2015, the study authors said.
An estimated 16 million carried a gun at least once a month in 2019, compared to about 9 million who did the same in 2015.
The majority of respondents (72%) who participated in the study said they carried a gun for personal protection.
This is due to the large increase in the number of people buying guns for defensive reasons over the last 30 years.
The study notes that in 1994, 46% of firearm owners said they owned a gun for protection. By 2015, researchers said that number had reached 65%; by 2019 it had grown to 73%.
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Researchers at the University of Washington compiled data for the study using the 2015 and 2019 National Firearms Surveys. The study was then narrowed down to examining the carrying habits of more than 2,300 handgun owners who responded to the NFS survey.
Although research shows an increase in the number of people holstering firearms in public, less than half of all gun owners carry their guns outside the home.
About 3 in 10 gun owners have carried a gun in the past 30 days, the researchers said. Among those people, about 4 in 10 did it every day.
The study found no significant differences between the proportion of gun owners who live in gun-free states and those who live in gun-allowing states. However, the researchers found a smaller percentage of gun owners who took their guns to “potential problems.”
The “issue” provision means that law enforcement is required to grant the applicant a permit to carry if he meets the basic requirements set forth in state law. Issuing States allow law enforcement or other authorities, at their discretion, to grant the applicant a carriage permit.
The study, titled “Trends in Carrying a Loaded Handgun among United States Adult Handgun Owners, 2015-2019.” was published in the American Journal of Public Health earlier this month.
