According to a survey conducted in 2023, 72 percent of gun owners in the United States cited protection as a major reason for owning a gun. In comparison, seven percent said that a major reason they owned a gun in that year was for their job.
Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023
Adjust the presentation of the statistic and data points.
Share the statistic on social media channels or embed the statistic in your
website using "Embed Code", where available.
Cite this statistic and select one of the following formats: APA, Chicago, Harvard, MLA & Bluebook.
Print the statistic including description and metadata.
Chart type
Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023
Share this statistic
You have no right to use this feature.
Make sure to contact us if you are interested in scientific citation.
You can upgrade your account to enable this functionality for all statistics.
This feature is not available with your current account.Request access
Learn more about how Statista can support your business.
Pew Research Center. (August 16, 2023). Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023 [Graph]. In Statista. Retrieved May 05, 2025, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/
Pew Research Center. "Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023." Chart. August 16, 2023. Statista. Accessed May 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/
Pew Research Center. (2023). Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023. Statista. Statista Inc.. Accessed: May 05, 2025. https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/
Pew Research Center. "Leading Reasons for Owning a Gun in The United States in 2023." Statista, Statista Inc., 16 Aug 2023, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/
Pew Research Center, Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023 Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/ (last visited May 05, 2025)
Leading reasons for owning a gun in the United States in 2023 [Graph], Pew Research Center, August 16, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/1409976/us-main-reasons-to-own-a-gun/
Profit from additional features with an Employee Account
Please create an employee account to be able to mark statistics as favorites.
Then you can access your favorite statistics via the star in the header.
Profit from the additional features of your individual account
Currently, you are using a shared account. To use individual functions (e.g., mark statistics as favourites, set
statistic alerts) please log in with your personal account.
If you are an admin, please authenticate by logging in again.