Gun Ownership In the U.S. Has Hit an All-Time Low

For a country that's supposed to be gun crazy, we sure have a funny way of showing it. According to a new report, gun ownership in the U.S. is at an all-time low.

At least they think it's an all-time low.  No one started keeping personal gun ownership statistics until the early 1970s.

Gun ownership peaked in 1977, when 54% of American households had a gun.  By 2010, that had dropped to the all-time low point of 32.3%.  That's right. Less than one in three homes now owns a gun.

Male gun ownership peaked in 1990, at 52.4%.  Now, only 33.2% of men personally report owning a gun.

Female ownership peaked in 1982, when 14.3% of women reported personally owning a gun.  Now it's down to 9.9%.

There are several theories why gun ownership is so far down. The biggest one is that the gun-owning population is getting older and younger generations just aren't as interested in owning one.

Other theories:  Hunting has become less popular, new environmental and zoning issues are making it harder for gun ranges to open and more single-parent households are headed up by women, who are less likely to own guns.

(Violence Policy Center)