Veera Korhonen
Research expert covering United States data for society
Gun laws in the United States - statistics & facts
After a recent assassination attempt against former President and current Republican candidate Donald Trump on July 13th, 2024, American gun policy has again provoked public scrutiny for failing to prevent such acts of armed violence. Prior assassinations of notable political figures President John F. Kennedy, Senator Robert Kennedy, and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. resulted in Congress enacting the Gun Control Act (GCA) of 1968. At present, the GCA prevails as the primary legislation for the federal regulation of firearms, responsible for regulating the licensing, transfer, sale, possession, and use of firearms and ammunition, as well as establishing new categories of firearm-related offenses and restricting certain prohibited people, such as felons, fugitives, the mentally ill, and minors from purchasing a firearm. According to the GCA, U.S. citizens and legal residents must be at least 18 years of age to purchase shotguns, rifles, and ammunition, while all other firearms, including handguns, are restricted for purchase only by people aged 21 and older. Although the federal minimum age to buy a gun cannot be reduced, state or local governments can choose to implement higher age restrictions.
To further prevent gun-related violence, some states have also enacted policies which outlaw the presence of guns in certain public places, such as schools and college campuses, prohibit potentially dangerous individuals from accessing firearms, and require gun owners to securely store their firearms at home, away from unauthorized adults and children. While studies show that states with such safety legislation in place generally experience less gun violence, even states with the strongest gun laws are still susceptible to acts of armed violence, particularly if residents can still legally access firearms in a nearby state or through gun traffickers illegally crossing state lines.
Although proponents of gun control claim that gun violence would decrease with prevention policies in place, gun rights advocates argue that the violence would just occur in another manner regardless. Opponents of gun control also reason that restricting their right to bear arms would only leave them unable to protect themselves from danger, suggesting that these two primary opposing ideologies are unlikely to converge in the near future. However, fear of facing such armed acts of violence could eventually increase Americans’ amenability to stricter gun regulations, as Americans were slightly more inclined to believe that allowing gun owners to carry guns in public places makes public places less safe in 2024. More likely, the future of gun policy in the United States rests in the hands of the next political party at power.
Significance of state-level legislation
Due to the Second Amendment of the Constitution’s assertion that citizens have the right to bear arms, implementing any more gun control legislation on a national level poses a political challenge in the United States. Instead, gun policies vary from state to state, often based on political beliefs. Democrats are much more likely to support stricter gun control regulations, including banning assault-style weapons often used to commit the deadliest mass shootings, while Republicans tend to favor looser laws, such as allowing gun owners to carry loaded, concealed handguns without a license. As of July 2024, almost half of all U.S. states required residents to obtain a background check and/or a permit before purchasing a firearm, however, only 13 states had restrictions on openly carrying firearms in public – a policy praised by advocates for limiting public displays of aggression.To further prevent gun-related violence, some states have also enacted policies which outlaw the presence of guns in certain public places, such as schools and college campuses, prohibit potentially dangerous individuals from accessing firearms, and require gun owners to securely store their firearms at home, away from unauthorized adults and children. While studies show that states with such safety legislation in place generally experience less gun violence, even states with the strongest gun laws are still susceptible to acts of armed violence, particularly if residents can still legally access firearms in a nearby state or through gun traffickers illegally crossing state lines.
The political problem of guns
Despite dodging shots from an AR-15 rifle in the recent assassination attempt which killed one spectator, former U.S. President Donald Trump maintains that he will protect Americans’ gun rights and oppose any new firearm limits if he is elected again, depicting the ongoing political division over whether it is more important to protect the right of Americans to own guns or limit gun ownership to promote public safety. According to the literature, Americans’ easy access to guns is a main factor behind the increasing frequency and severity of gun violence in the U.S., with the nation facing more mass shootings, school shootings, and firearm homicides than any of its affluent peers around the globe.Although proponents of gun control claim that gun violence would decrease with prevention policies in place, gun rights advocates argue that the violence would just occur in another manner regardless. Opponents of gun control also reason that restricting their right to bear arms would only leave them unable to protect themselves from danger, suggesting that these two primary opposing ideologies are unlikely to converge in the near future. However, fear of facing such armed acts of violence could eventually increase Americans’ amenability to stricter gun regulations, as Americans were slightly more inclined to believe that allowing gun owners to carry guns in public places makes public places less safe in 2024. More likely, the future of gun policy in the United States rests in the hands of the next political party at power.
