Firearms have become one of the most politically contentious issues in the United States in recent decades. As active shooter incidents have become increasingly common, exactly who should be allowed to own guns, and the specific types of guns available to consumers, have become subjects of on-going debate in this country.
While increasingly controversial, firearms have been fundamental to American identity since the earliest days of the republic. A constitutional right, gun ownership was all but essential for families settling the North American frontier, from the Colonial era through the period of westward expansion. Necessary not only as a means of self defense, guns were also needed for hunting and providing food.
With fully stocked grocery stores and armed law enforcement in the United States of today, firearms are no longer the practical necessity they once were. As a result, the majority of Americans do not own a gun. Still, the legacy of the role firearms played in making the country what it is looms large, and today, guns wield outsized influence on American culture, values, and politics.
Using data from a range of surveys, public opinion polls, government databases, legal documents, and historical archives, 24/7 Tempo identified 37 amazing facts about guns in America.
When it comes to firearms, the United States is a global outlier. One of only three countries in which gun ownership is a constitutional right, the U.S. is also the only country in the world with more guns than people.
— 24/7 Wall St. Staff in Amazing Facts About Guns in America
