Low estimate: 83 guns per 100 people
High estimate: 97 guns
The United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, but between 35 and 50 percent (270 million) of the world’s civilian-owned guns. Americans buy about 4.5 million of the 8 million new firearms manufactured every year.
The survey notes that the US is an exception to general trends of lower ownership among wealthy countries, likely because of “permissive gun laws” (at least compared to other wealthy countries) and a “generally positive gun culture.” If current trends continue, the US will become an even more dominant force in global gun ownership.
