Record share of Americans own guns as some states loosen firearm laws: poll

TALLAHSSEE, Fla. – As multiple states including Florida have expanded gun rights, a new NBC News poll found a record amount of Americans own firearms.

According to NBC, their poll found that 52% said that they or somebody in their household own a firearm.

Compared to other years’ poll results, the latest number is a record high level of gun ownership.

Republicans had the highest share in November 2023, with 66% answering affirmatively, along with 45% of Independents and 41% of Democrats.

The 2023 number is also the year with the highest share of Republicans and Democrats responding affirmatively. Independents had a slightly higher share in February 2013 and August 2019.

NBC added that by race, while white gun ownership rates used to be much higher than the Black rate, the gap has narrowed.

In August 2019, the same poll found 53% of white voters and 24% of Black voters responding affirmatively. In the new poll, the result was 56% of white voters and 41% of Black voters.

The poll questions were asked Nov. 10-14 with 1,000 registered voters, with a margin of error of 3.1%.

The results come as 2023 marked the year where a now-majority of American states have enacted permitless carry, where a permit with the government is not required to carry a concealed weapon.

Most of the states that are relaxed on gun restrictions are controlled by Republicans.

Permitless carry became law in Florida this year. It was signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in April.

The legislation was carried by Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, and Rep. Robert Charles Brannan, R-Macclenny.

“You don’t need a permission slip from the government to exercise your constitutional rights,” Collins said earlier this year. “We are restoring the Second Amendment here in the Free State of Florida.”

Florida became the 26th state to enact the policy.

During debate on the bill, some advocates said the bill did not go far enough and urged the legalization of “open carry.”

More recently, Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey also called for “open carry.”

“I just want our citizens to have the absolute rights they’re guaranteed by the Constitution and I think we’ll eventually get there,” Ivey said on Florida’s Voice with Brendon Leslie. “I think we have great legislators that have that same ideal, and we have a governor that supports that as well.”

“It says you have the right to bear arms. It doesn’t say you have to conceal it. It doesn’t say you have to have a permit, anything of that nature,” he said. “You don’t have to have a permit to exercise your First Amendment right, so why would you need one to exercise your Second Amendment right?”