Report Highlights: The gap between male and female gun owners in the United States has narrowed.
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Female gun ownership increased by 5-15% since 1980, while male gun ownership decreased by 11%.
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Between 39 and 43% of U.S. men (65-71 million) reported owning firearms in 2025.
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Between 17 and 25% of U.S. women (29-43 million) reported owning firearms in 2025.
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In 2025, 77% of male and female gun owners cited personal protection as a reason for owning guns.
Related Studies: Firearm Ownership in America by Year, How Many Americans Want Stricter Gun Laws?, Gun Ownership by Political Party
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Methodology
Ammo.com sources information from reputable publications. Due to reporting limitations and the Fifth Amendment, firearm ownership data are largely gathered from self-reporting surveys and NICS background checks. We used various surveys and studies to analyze gun ownership trends to provide the most accurate data available.
Gun Ownership by Gender by Year
Recent surveys indicate that 32% of Americans (approximately 107.5 million) personally own firearms. In 2025, an average of 39% of men and 19% of women claimed gun ownership in self-reporting surveys.(1, 2, 4, 5, 14, 15)
Gun Ownership Among Men in the U.S.
A smaller percentage of men owned firearms in 2025 than in previous years.
In 1980, 50% of men (about 55 million) owned firearms. Surveys show that male gun ownership dropped to 40-43% in the early 2000s through early 2010s. More recent surveys estimate male firearm ownership at 39% to 43%.
Male gun ownership declined by 7 to 11% between 1980 and 2025. It has stagnated between 39% and 43% for the past two decades, with a 2025 YouGov survey showing ownership at 28%.(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15)
Gun Ownership Among Women in the U.S.
Women report owning guns at much higher rates in 2025 than they did in 1980.
In 1980, only 10% of women reported owning a firearm. Female gun ownership increased to 15% during the 2000s and 2010s. It rose again between 2020 and 2025 by 5 to 10%, with up to 25% of women now claiming personal gun ownership on surveys.(1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 14, 15 )
Why Do Men and Women Choose to Own Guns in the U.S?
In 2025, most male and female gun owners cited protection as a major reason for owning a gun. Of all gun owners in the U.S., 77% stated they own firearms primarily for protection. Additionally, 32% claimed to own firearms for hunting; 30% for recreation; 15% as part of a collection; and 7% for work-related purposes.(2, 6, 1 5)
The motivation for owning a gun varies between males and females. Women are much more likely to keep a firearm for protection, whereas men own them for more varied reasons.
In a 2017 survey, 92% of female gun owners and 91% of male gun owners cited protection as one of their reasons for owning a gun. Of these, 27% of women and 8% of men cited personal safety as their only reason for owning a firearm. (6)
Although women have historically owned firearms at lower rates, their motivations for owning them are primarily the same as men’s.
A 1992 study investigated female gun ownership specifically. Over 50,000 women responded, with 42% reporting that they had been victims of a crime at some point in their lives. Additionally, 40% cited self-defense and safety as their primary reasons for owning a gun. (9)
Average Number of Guns Owned by Men and Women in the U.S.
The average American gun owner reports owning between one and five firearms.
Available data suggest that men typically own more firearms per person than women.
A 2015 study found that 74% of male gun owners have more than one firearm, compared to 53% of female gun owners .(5)
Men vs. Women Gun Type Preference
In a 2015 survey, 40.4% of female gun owners reported only owning handguns, compared to 20.7% of male gun owner s.(5)
Before 2014, research suggests that women preferred long guns over handguns, while men favored a more balanced mix of both firearm type s.(14)
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