US Medium Number of Firearm & Rifle Purchases Per Individual 2025
Annual Firearm Sales
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2020: A record 21.8 million firearms were sold, driven by factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, social unrest, and political events.thetrace.org
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2023: Approximately 16.7 million firearms were sold, marking a 4% decline from 2022. safehome.org
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2024: Sales continued to decrease, with 15.3 million firearms purchased, representing a 29.8% drop from the 2020 peak. thetrace.org
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Per Capita Firearm Purchases
To estimate the average number of firearms purchased per individual in 2024:
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Total U.S. Population (2024): Approximately 332 million.
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Per Capita Purchase: 15.3 million firearms divided by 332 million people equals approximately 0.046 firearms per person.thetrace.org
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This suggests that, on average, there was about 1 firearm purchased for every 22 individuals in 2024.
Cumulative Civilian Firearm Ownership
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- Estimates indicate that civilians in the U.S. own over 500 million firearms, equating to approximately 120.5 firearms per 100 people. nsin.us
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Trends and Factors Influencing Firearm Sales
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Pandemic and Social Unrest: The surge in 2020 sales is attributed to uncertainties stemming from the pandemic and societal tensions.safehome.org+1thetrace.org+1
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Political Climate: Anticipation of potential gun control measures often leads to increased firearm purchases.safehome.org
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Market Saturation: The decline in recent years may be due to market saturation, as many individuals who intended to purchase firearms have already done so.
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It’s important to note that while these figures provide an overview of firearm sales, they do not necessarily reflect the distribution among individuals, as some may purchase multiple firearms while others may not purchase any.