Does Owning a Gun Make You Safer?

A 2024 Pew Research Study estimated there are more than 500 million civilian-owned guns in the United States. With a population of 345 million, this means the US has more firearms than people. 72% of American gunowners say they do so for protection. 61% believe it's too easy to legally acquire a gun in the country.

I don't own a gun. I've never shot one and I have no desire to have one. The closest I've come is shooting a movie prop AK47. The experience was loud and grating and made me more gun averse.

Given the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk and the increasingly volatile political climate, I was curious to learn how many of my friends and family are gunowners. I live in Los Angeles, home to the second highest homicide rate in America (from USAFacts.org).

I'm a left-leaning Democrat with friends on both sides of the aisle. I asked 40 friends and family members if they own a gun. 28 were Democrat, 10 Republican, 2 Independent. I was surprised by the results.

Of my Democratic friends, only 1 person currently owns a gun. He lived a gun-free life until he was robbed at gunpoint in 1998 in front of his Hancock Park home. The event traumatized him. He applied for a gun permit and purchased a 9mm Smith & Wesson pistol for $500. He took a gun training course as mandated by the LAPD and now keeps the gun locked and loaded in his bedroom closet. Every few months he goes to a gun range to keep his skills sharp.

Two of my Democrat friends were gun owners at one point in their life but got rid of their firearms after they had kids. This means only 2.5 % of my Democratic friends own guns. The national average among Democrats is 20% (Pew Research).

Among my 10 Republican friends, nine own guns and the tenth is in the market for a gun. All are men and are older than 40. This means 100% of the Republicans I spoke with are gunowners. The national average among Republicans is 45% (Pew Research).

I asked a 68-year old friend who lives in Agoura Hills why he owns a gun. He told me, "This is a crazy city, man. You have to protect yourself." I reminded him he lives in the San Fernando Valley, an area statistically safer than Los Angeles from gun violence. He keeps reading about follow-home robberies in Encino and feels like it's only a matter of time until thieves with guns hit his neighborhood.

Another friend owns a jewelry store in downtown Los Angeles. He has three guns in the store. He's had to bring them out on several occasions though he's never fired a gun. "If you don't own a gun, you're an idiot," he told me.

My sister moved from Napa Valley to Knoxville. She has two kids. In Napa, she didn't own a gun. In Tennessee, she owns a Glock. "It was a housewarming gift from a neighbor. In California, neighbors bring bottles of Cabernet. In Tennessee, they give you boxes of ammo or gun cleaning kits."

My sister is an avid hiker but she's avoided hiking near Knoxville. "You always hear gunshots in the woods, especially on weekends. People are hunting or taking target practice. I'm not worried about being intentionally shot. I'm worried about a stray bullet. Everybody has a gun here."

According to Pew Research, 51.6% of Tennessee households own guns. Montana tops the list with 66.3%, while Massachusetts is at the bottom with 14.7%. California is at 28% (42nd out of 50 states).

Gun deaths are more likely in small towns than big cities. A 2022 Violence Policy Center study rated the top six states for gun deaths as Mississippi, Wyoming, Louisiana, Alaska, Missouri, and Alabama. All are Red States. The same study found the lowest five states for gun deaths as Hawaii, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island and New York. All are Blue States. Contrary to popular belief, Democratic blue areas are safer from gun violence than Republican red districts.

In November 2023, a 36-year old man who lived across the street from me was shot and killed by a homeless woman. Several neighbors purchased guns out of fear. I was horrified and shocked but felt no increased urgency to buy a gun.

When I tell this story to my Republican friends they think I'm an idiot. My Republican cousin asked, "If someone puts a gun to your head how are you going to protect yourself?" I tried explaining my attitude toward guns telling him, "If you don't own a gun, you're less likely to resonate with violent gun energy."

"You're also more likely to get shot," my cousin scoffed.

In 2009, the National Institute of Health studied 684 cases of gun-related assaults. They wanted to compare the likelihood of getting shot in an assault between gunowners and those who don't own guns. The study concluded that gunowners are 4.5 times more likely to be shot in an assault than non-gunowners.

I've known five people who committed suicide via gunshot. Four were friends, one was a family member. A punk rock friend from high school shot himself in the head in 2003 after his skater-clothing business went bankrupt. A friend who was a Vietnam veteran shot himself after learning he'd contracted Parkinson's Disease. Another friend shot himself at age 37 after losing a child custody case.

A 2024 study by AmericanProgress.org concluded that those living with handguns are two times more likely to die by homicide compared to those living in a gun-free household. Handgun owners are seven times more likely to be shot by their spouse than those who don't own guns.

In Freudian analysis, guns are viewed as phallus symbols. They represent power, authority and a yearning for sexual conquest. Jungian analysts view guns as representing destructive forces within the psyche. Dreaming of a gun is a way to express vulnerability or feeling disempowered. If you're shot in a dream, it can represent guilt or self-punishment.

Gun owners often speak of "Gun Sanctity." Many gunowners believe guns make them more patriotic and respected by others. They view people without guns as weaklings or fools. In the Sufi tradition, gun idolatry is viewed as a worship of false Gods since guns are bestowed spiritual powers.

The Russian playwright Chekov had a famous edict about guns. He said if you show a gun in the first act of a story, it has to be fired by the end of the play. This is kind of how I view gun ownership. If you own a gun, chances are it will be fired by the end of your life. It might even take your life. I prefer to keep the odds in my favor.