First-time gun owners totaled at least 5.4M in 2021, groups says
At least 5.4 million people were estimated to have bought guns for the first time in 2021, with nearly 30% of all guns sold last year going to new firearms owners, according to a recent trade group survey.
The National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) 2021 figures show a decrease of about 3 million from the staggering numbers of 2020, when an estimated 8.4 million people bought guns for the first time. The firearm industry trade group found that 27% of the new gun buyers were between ages 31 and 40, while 22.2% were age 30 or under.
The third-highest group was those between ages 41 and 50, who made up 21.7% of first-time gun owners, The NSSF found.
Almost 47% of the first-time buyers asked about firearms training, while 43% enlisted in training programs, the group found. And more than 33% of the first-time gun owners were women.
"The surveys revealed that new gun owners are continuing to embrace their Second Amendment rights and nearly half of them are seeking out professional training," said NSSF CEO and president Joe Bartozzi in a prepared statement. "These trends show that not only is there still a strong interest in gun ownership but also that these new gun owners are interested in learning more about the safe and responsible handling, use and storage of firearms."