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…