Gun ownership and mental illness: The legal connection

Abstract

According to Statista Research Department (July, 2024), “The share of American households owning at least one firearm has remained relatively steady since 1972, hovering between 37% and 47%. In 2023, about 42% of U.S. households had at least one gun in their possession.” The Pew Research Center reports that “(72%) say protection is a major reason they own a gun. Considerably smaller shares say that a major reason they own a gun is for hunting (32%), for sport shooting (30%), as part of a gun collection (15%) or for their job (7%).” (from Introduction)