Pennsylvania was among the top states for gun purchases in both 2023 and the first quarter of this year, but the commonwealth’s large population may help explain the ranking.
Last month, the U.S. surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis, issuing a 39-page advisory on initiatives to prevent firearm deaths. The advisory said the rate of firearm-related deaths “reached a near three-decade high in 2021."
About a third of Americans say they personally own a gun, Pew Research data shows. That statistic reflects the deep-rooted culture of gun ownership in the U.S. Another report found that in the first four months of 2024, nearly 5.5. million firearms were purchased in the country.
Pennsylvania ranked fourth highest in the country for guns sold in 2023 (841,523) and for guns sold between January and April 2024 (284,082). Pennsylvania, with its 2023 census estimated population of over 12.9 million, is the fifth most populated state in the nation.
Texas, which has the second highest population at 30.5 million people, had the most gun sales last year (1.3 million) and the most guns bought through April (448,034).
Data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was analyzed by SafeHomes.org, a safety product review site, to determine which states had the largest ownership of recently purchased firearms.
Which states sold the most guns in 2023?
The states that sold the most guns last year is largely reflected by its population size. The top three states that sold the most guns in 2023 are also the most populated.
According to SafeHomes' analysis of NICS data, these are the states with the most firearms sales in 2023:
Texas: 1,347,589
Florida: 1,316,471
California: 1,043,421
Pennsylvania: 841,523
Tennessee: 633,015
Ohio: 583,314
Virginia: 581,698
Michigan: 555,650
Missouri: 520,488
Illinois: 504,452
Which states sold the most guns, adjusted for population?
When adjusted for population, Pennsylvania’s gun purchases go from one of the largest to almost the median, according to the SafeHomes’ data.
Pennsylvania had a rate of 859 gun purchases per 10,000 residents over the age of 21 in 2023.
Montana, Wyoming and Alaska had the three highest population-based rates, respectively, with all three states having more than 1,500 guns purchased per 10,000 residents.
"These states have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural lifestyles and less rigid gun control laws," SafeHomes managing editor Rob Gabriele said. "The pro-gun cultures and the need for self-defense in such remote areas, which abound in predators that could harm livestock, may also contribute to higher gun ownership and sales."
The following states had the highest rate of gun sales, adjusted for population.
Montana: 1,586 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Wyoming: 1,523 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Alaska: 1,514 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Oregon: 1,372 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Alabama: 1,302 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
New Hampshire: 1,252 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Tennessee: 1,207 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
West Virginia: 1,205 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
North Dakota: 1,194 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Idaho: 1,149 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Nationwide legal gun sales declined slightly last year
Nationwide gun sales decreased in 2023, Gabriele said. About 16.7 million firearms were sold in the U.S. last year, the report said, down 4% from 2022.
Pennsylvania’s gun purchases dropped by 7% in 2023.
Florida, which passed a law to allow permitless concealed carry in March 2023, saw gun sales go up 1% last year. The Sunshine State was one of only four states to see an increase, with 1,316,471 estimated sales in 2023, according to the report. But that was nothing compared to North Carolina, Gabriele said, which saw a 112% increase in gun sales after their pistol permit law was eliminated in March 2023 by the GOP-led legislature, overriding the Democratic governor's veto.
Gun violence reaches an all-time-high
According to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, more than 48,000 people died by gun violence in 2022 — that's an increase of 16,000 deaths compared to 2010. At the same time, firearm-related suicides have increased by 20%, including a “staggering increase” in such deaths among young people, the advisory noted.
Murthy said gun violence demands a public health approach rather than the polarizing political response.
Gun violence became the leading cause of death in children and U.S. adults are worried that they or a loved one will become a victim, according to Reuters. More than half of U.S. adults said that they or a family member experienced a firearm-related incident, a 2023 report from KFF found.
Chris Ullery is the Philadelphia Hub Data Reporter for the USA Today Network. Reach him at cullery@couriertimes.com or find him on Twitter at @ulleryatinell.
million firearms were purchased in the country. Pennsylvania ranked fourth highest in the country for guns sold in 2023 (841,523) and for guns sold between January and April 2024 (284,082). Pennsylvania, with its 2023 census estimated population of over 12.9 million, is the fifth most populated state in the nation.
Montana has the highest rate of gun ownership, followed by Wyoming, Alaska, Idaho, and West Virginia. On the contrary, New Jersey has the lowest rate, with Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Hawaii, and New York trailing closely behind.
Wyoming has, by far, the highest number of guns per capita. Of Wyoming's 581,075 people, there are 132,806 registered guns. The four other states with the highest number of guns per capita (guns per 1,000 people) are: New Hampshire (47), New Mexico (46), Virginia (36), and Alabama (33).
The 10 states with the strongest gun laws, in ranking order, were California, New Jersey, Connecticut, Illinois, New York, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Maryland and Colorado. The states with the least stringent gun laws were Wyoming, Arkansas, Missouri, Kentucky, Idaho, Montana, Mississippi, South Dakota, Kansas and Arizona.
Pennsylvania requires background checks on all handgun sales, including at gun shows, but does not extend this requirement to long guns including assault rifles. In 2022, Pennsylvania had the twenty-second lowest gun death rate among the states.
Texas was the state with the highest number of registered weapons in the United States in 2021, with 1,006,555 firearms. Rhode Island, on the other hand, had the least, with 4,887 registered firearms.
Pistols. There are many different guns on the market but the pistol is the most common. A pistol is a type of handgun that can be best described as only needing one hand to fire it. Two hands are recommended to keep the firearm steady, however.
The states with the lowest gun ownership rates are New Jersey, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, California, Maryland, Connecticut, Illinois, and Florida. New Jersey has the lowest household firearm ownership rate, with a rate of 8.9%.
How Many Guns Does An Average Gun Owner Possess? The average American owns between one and five firearms. Men are more likely than women to own more than one, and those with only one firearm typically have a handgun or pistol.
As of 2024, Mississippi was the state with the highest gun violence rate per 100,000 residents in the United States, at 29.7 percent, followed by Louisiana, at 28.2 percent. In comparison, Rhode Island had a gun violence rate of 3.1 percent, the lowest out of all the states.
Forty-four states have a provision in their state constitutions similar to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, which protects the right to keep and bear arms. The exceptions are California, Maryland, Minnesota, New Jersey, and New York.
U.S. states with highest number of trafficked guns in 2021
In 2021, Arizona was the state with the highest number of trafficked guns recovered in a crime in the United States, with 3,575 trafficked guns recovered. Georgia, Texas, Indiana, and South Carolina rounded out the top five in that year.
The states that sold the most guns last year is largely reflected by its population size. The top three states that sold the most guns in 2023 are also the most populated. According to SafeHomes' analysis of NICS data, these are the states with the most firearms sales in 2023: Texas: 1,347,589.
Only 6.06 million firearms are registered in America (NFA registrations and states with permits to purchase). Estimates show that 82,880,000 people own at least one firearm in 2023. 43% of households have at least one firearm in 2023. Women's firearm ownership has increased by 177.8% since 1993.
In 2023, the Pew Research Center estimated that 45.7 percent of adult Texans own a gun. Texas has the highest number of registered gun owners in the nation at nearly 600,000.
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