Americans and their guns

American civilians own more guns per person than civilians in any other country in the world.

Gun ownership in the US is a controversial topic rooted in the country’s history and constitution.

The Second Amendment guarantees that the right of Americans to “keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”, but whether this right can be regulated has been a political and judicial battlefront from the start.

Currently in the US, nearly 42 percent of Americans live in a household where at least one family member owns one or more guns – this amounts to about 270 million guns in total, according to Pew Research Center. 

REALITY CHECK: The NRA wasn’t always anti-gun control

Most Americans have fired a gun at least once in their life. 

Each year, more than 30,000 Americans die by guns. Suicides make up more than half of these deaths.

There are more mass shootings in the US than any other country in the world. Gun violence and mass shootings bring the debate over stricter firearm regulations to the forefront.

Americans are split almost evenly on the issue, with 52 percent in support of stricter gun regulation and 48 percent against it.