U.S. views on whether gun ownership increases or reduces safety 2023, by demographic
According to a survey conducted in 2023, Americans remain equally divided on whether gun ownership increases safety by allowing law-abiding citizens to protect themselves or if owning a gun reduces safety by giving too many people access to firearms and increasing misuse. However, Republican respondents and respondents living in rural areas were found more likely than other demographic groups to believe that gun ownership increases safety in the United States, at 79 percent and 65 percent respectively. In comparison, only 21 percent of Democrats and 34 percent of Americans living in urban areas shared this belief.
