What percentage of Alabama adults own guns? It may not be as many as you think

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July 10, 2015

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A new study from the journal of Injury Prevention reveals the percentage of adults in each state that own firearms, and despite popular belief, Alabama didn’t land in the top spot.

That honor goes to Alaska, where an incredible 61.7 percent of adults own guns.

Here are the top 10 states:

1. Alaska (61.7%)
2. Arkansas (57.9%)
3. Idaho (56.9%)
4. West Virginia (54.2%)
5. Wyoming (53.8%)
6. Montana (52.3%)
7. New Mexico (49.9%)
8. Alabama (48.9%)
9. North Dakota (47.9%)
10. Louisiana (44.5)

And the bottom 10:

50. Delaware (5.2%)
49. Rhode Island (5.8%)
48. New York (10.3%)
47. New Jersey (11.3%
46. New Hampshire (14.4%)
45. Connecticut (16.6%)
44. Ohio (19.6%)
43. Nebraska (19.8%)
42. California (20.1%)
41. Maryland (20.7%)

Here’s how the whole nation stacks up:

Unsurprisingly, researchers found the differences could be attributed to everything from local and state firearm laws to cultural and social norms.

Survey respondents were asked four questions to gauge the “social gun culture” of each state: “social circle thinks less of them if they did not own a gun,” “family thinks less of them not owning a gun,” “social life with family involves guns,” and “social life with friends involves guns.”

Revealingly, those who reported the prevalence of a “social gun culture,” were 2.25 times more likely to own a gun.

The authors of the report claim guns “continue to be a public health concern,” adding “gun cultures may need to be considered for public health strategies that aim to change gun ownership in the USA.”

Long considered one of the nation’s ingrained values, the Constitution’s 2nd Amendment is held as sacred by many. Observers of the study may find it highly ironic that those former colonies who fought for freedom from the British in the Revolutionary War are now among the states where gun ownership is the lowest.

In recent years, gun ownership has become much more prevalent among those who self-identify as Republicans or Independents. According to a 2014 Pew Research poll, 49% of Republicans and 37% of Independents own a gun, while only, 22% percent of Democrats own firearms.

The United States has roughly 279 million guns in private hands, with a population of just under 314 million. If those guns were spread out across the population, it would be enough for the U.S. to have an 88.8 percent gun ownership rate.