- In 2015, about 3 million U.S. adults reported carrying a handgun daily and by 2019, that number soared to roughly 6 million, according to a study published in December’s edition of the American Journal of Public Health.
- The number of Americans who said they carried handguns within the last month nearly doubled from 9 million in 2015 to 16 million in 2019, the study states.
- The study does not include post-pandemic data. However, 7.5 million American adults became new gun owners from January 2019 to April 2021, according to a study published in February by the Annals of Internal Medicine.
- While the new firearm owners were mostly purchasing handguns, the study did not state whether they carried the weapons.
