97Percent’s New Research Shows A Majority of Gun Owners Worry About Being Victims of Gun Violence and Support Gun Restrictions in Sensitive Places
Survey also reveals gun owners think permitless carry increases gun violence
(LOS ANGELES, CA) October 23, 2023 – 97Percent, whose mission is to reduce gun deaths by including gun owners in the solutions, has released its latest research: a poll of 2,000+ gun owners across the country, conducted by Republican pollster Kristen Soltis Anderson, Democratic pollster Geoffrey Garin, and with the support of Arnold Ventures. Key findings include:
84% of gun owners feel gun-related crime is a serious problem, and 75% feel they or someone they love will be a victim of gun violence.
These fears are driving gun owners’ desire to protect themselves with a gun, and 60% think it is somewhat or very likely they will need to use their gun to defend themselves one day.
70% of gun owners said they wish “we would enact some kind of gun reform.” An unexpected finding was broad support for restrictions in sensitive locations:
66% of gun owners, for instance, think guns should be restricted on school grounds. 67% think they should be restricted in government buildings.
More gun owners say permitless concealed carry will increase, rather than decrease, the chance of gun violence (43% vs. 30%).
And while permitless carry removes training requirements, 58% support requiring gun owners to demonstrate that they can use a gun safely.
“97Percent believes gun owners’ voices have either been missing from the gun safety conversation or misrepresented,” said 97Percent Executive Director Olivia Troye. “Gun owners are experts in firearms and can provide insight into what policies will be most effective. We must understand their concerns and what’s motivating this huge increase in gun sales, so we can make progress on solutions we all agree on and save lives.”
As gun-related deaths in 2023 surpass 32,000, 97Percent’s research reveals that gun owners are not just concerned about gun crime at a macro level; they’re deeply concerned it will affect them personally. Knowing this provides a better understanding of why the majority of gun owners are buying guns and why they believe legislation is needed to keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people and out of the wrong places.
The data comes in spite of opposing trends in the judiciary and legislatures across the country. In response to the Supreme Court’s Bruen decision – which struck down NY’s concealed carry law and created a new constitutionality test that puts all gun laws in question – states are passing laws banning guns in sensitive places and finding them routinely tied up in court. And Nebraska recently became the 27th state in the nation to implement permitless carry.
97Pecent’s research also found that gun owners do not think politicians do a good job of representing their views. While 67% think Democrats do not reflect their views, nearly half (47%) do not think Republicans reflect their views either. Additionally, 60% of gun owners said they would vote for candidates who support gun safety policies, as long as they also agreed with them on key issues.
97Percent plans to conduct this survey annually to collect data that measures change in sentiment.
Read the full research report HERE.
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About 97Percent
97Percent’s mission is to reduce gun deaths by including gun owners in the solutions. We believe the key to doing so is to bring gun owners to the table, conduct research, and leverage technology to address issues we all agree upon that will make our communities safer.
Our name was inspired by a 2018 Quinnipiac University poll, which found that 97% of Americans support universal background checks – a figure that represents unprecedented agreement on gun safety, despite many believing the issue is intractable.
For all press inquiries, please contact:
Stephanie Genuardi Cunnane
stephanie@97percent.us