In 2019, a survey found that around 37 percent of households in the U.S. reported owning one or more firearms. This makes the United States the most heavily armed civilian population in the world. A different survey from the same year found that 18 percent of gun owners stated they carry a gun on themselves daily, while only 42 percent of gun owners stated they never carry a gun.
Public disagreement over laws of firearm ownership has stemmed from the high number of firearm-related crimes, accidental deaths and the proliferation of mass shootings. More than 72 percent of homicides in the United States in 2018 involved the use of a firearm. The state of affairs appears even more troublesome for black Americans. In 2016, the rate of gun deaths for black male Americans was over double that of white Americans.
As our infographic shows, the United States have a severe societal problem in the number of mass shooting that are occurring in the country. In response, there have been repeated calls for bans on assault-style weapons, bump fire stocks, and high-capacity ammunition magazines. In 2018, it was found that 54 percent of all registered voters strongly supported a ban on assault-style weapons, however only 38 percent of republicans supported such a ban while 78 percent of democrats did, highlighting the political divide of this issue.
