Nearly 30 million Americans bought guns after the pandemic, with 11 million becoming first-time gun owners

Olivia Bennett
4 Min Read
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Nearly 30 million Americans bought guns after the pandemic, with 11 million becoming first-time gun owners

Nearly 30 million Americans bought guns after the pandemic, with 11 million becoming first-time gun owners
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Nearly 30 million Americans bought guns after the pandemic, with 11 million becoming first-time gun owners
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A national survey estimates that nearly 30 million U.S. adults acquired firearms between 2021 and 2024, including more than 11 million people who became gun owners for the first time. These new owners also introduced guns into millions of households that previously had none, newly exposing about 9 million adults and 6.6 million children to firearms in their homes. These findings are published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Northeastern University and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health conducted a national, probability-based survey in December 2024 of more than 4,000 firearm owners to measure how many Americans acquired firearms after January 1, 2021, how many were first-time owners, and how many people were newly exposed to guns in their households. They found that from 2021 to 2024, about 29.8 million adults bought guns, including 11.2 million new owners, corresponding to 4.2% of U.S. adults.

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Many of these first-time buyers lived in homes without firearms at the time, resulting in millions of adults and children being newly exposed to household guns. Additionally, a disproportionally large share of new gun owners were members of subgroups historically underrepresented among gun owners. Women made up 46.3% of new owners and 46.1% of new gun owners were Hispanic and/or people of color.

According to the authors, these patterns highlight the need for ongoing monitoring of firearm exposure and suggest that well-established risk of violent death associated with living in a home with guns has likely risen for millions of Americans who had previously been living in homes without guns.

Publication details

Matthew Miller et al, Firearm Acquisition and New Exposure to Household Firearms After the Initial Pandemic Purchasing Surge: Results From the 2024 National Firearms Survey, Annals of Internal Medicine (2026). DOI: 10.7326/annals-25-05181

Journal information:
Annals of Internal Medicine

Key medical concepts

Firearms

Clinical categories

Preventive medicineCommon illnesses & PreventionChildren’s health

Citation:
Nearly 30 million Americans bought guns after the pandemic, with 11 million becoming first-time gun owners (2026, March 17)
retrieved 18 March 2026
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Olivia Bennett (she/her) is a health education specialist and medical writer dedicated to providing clear, evidence-based health information. She holds a strong academic background in public health and clinical sciences, with advanced training from respected institutions in the United States and the United Kingdom.   Bennett earned her Bachelor of Science in Public Health from the University of Michigan. She later completed her Doctor of Medicine (MD) at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, where she developed a deep interest in preventive care and patient education.   To further strengthen her expertise in global and community health, she obtained a Master of Science in Global Health and Development from the University College London. She also completed a Postgraduate Certificate in Clinical Nutrition at the King's College London.   Since completing her studies, Bennett has worked in both clinical and health communication roles, contributing to medical blogs, health platforms, and public awareness campaigns. Her work focuses on translating complex medical research into practical guidance that everyday readers can understand and apply.   In 2021, she began specializing in digital health education, helping online health platforms maintain medically accurate, reader-friendly content. Her key areas of focus include: Preventive healthcare Women’s health Mental health awareness Chronic disease management (diabetes, hypertension) Nutrition and lifestyle medicine   Bennett believes that trustworthy health information should be accessible to everyone. Her goal is to empower readers to make informed decisions about their well-being through clear, compassionate, and research-backed guidance.   Outside of her professional work, she enjoys reading medical journals, participating in community wellness initiatives, and mentoring aspiring health writers.
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