Culture: Why Own a Gun?

Name: George Foster

In mid-December 1791, Congress passed the infamous Bill of Rights, 10 amendments to the US constitution that were made to correct its deficiencies and prevent an overreach of federal power. Now while the Bill has several important amendments that guarantee things such as a right to a fair trial or freedom of speech, one of the most infamous and controversial amendments is the 2nd amendment, which reads that…

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed”

This, in effect, gives individual citizens the right to bear firearms, with the primary justification (at least at the time) being for security and protection of local communities. And this reasoning makes sense for the time period. Before the US revolution, the main military force in the colonies were militia men, citizens who would use their own personal weapons to defend their communities when the need arose, often to fight against Native Americans. During the revolutionary war, when the US began to form its own professional army, militias still played an important role, fighting at several of the war's earliest battles including Lexington, Concord, Bunker Hill, Boston, and many others, while continuously using hit and run tactics to hit British weak points such as their supply lines. Even after the US won its independence, militias were still used as there were fears over a standing army being used to oppress the common people similar to how the British acted. It wouldn’t be until the late 1800s and early 1900s that the militias were replaced by the National Guard, a more modern and organized defense force under a federal framework. 

However since we no longer rely on militias where citizens join with their own weapons, an important question is raised. What are the main reasons/arguments for owning a firearm? This is especially relevant since an individual who owns popular firearms such as a Glock pistol, AR-15 rifle, Mossberg shotgun, or a Remington hunting rifle can cause a lot more damage than a man with a single shot musket. Yet surprisingly, just because the guns change doesn’t mean all the reasons do as well.

"Safety" First

By far the biggest reason for gun ownership, especially today, is the desire by some people to protect themselves and their families. Multiple studies from groups like Pew Research have found that asked groups ranging from 70-90% stated the main reason for owning a firearm was for their own or for their family’s protection. It should be noted that while many of these people (around 70%) do enjoy owning a gun, many simply feel safer owning a gun. 

While this idea that lacking a gun means you aren’t safe may seem questionable considering that there is a well funded police force, the argument is very simple. The police may arrive too late. Many people feel that if they are being attacked in their home or outside their home at major events, having a gun on hand to defend themselves gives them a better chance of survival then waiting for the police to arrive while getting shot at.

When it comes to the timing of when this idea of self protection became the main argument, it seemingly began in the late 1990s and in the following decades. Due to rampant gun violence, the 90s saw significant action by the Clinton administration to further regulate who owned guns and what guns could be owned through acts such as the Brady Handgun Act or the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Protection Act in 1993 and 1994 respectively. As a likely result of all this enforcement, the main reasons at the time were for hunting and recreation, however the violence began a trend that would not stop. While gun violence was on a lower level during the 2000s compared to the 1990s, there were still reports of homicide and a growing number of mass shootings such as the Red Lake High School mass shooting in 2005, where 9 people were killed. And as many of the gun control acts that were passed were not renewed or expanded upon due to the shift in pro-gunownership Republicans in Congress and protests from gun activist groups like the NRA, gun violence continued into the 2010s with infamous events like the Sandy Hook School shooting. And ironically, as more gun related incidents occurred, more people began to buy guns for protection

Another interesting aspect of this expansion on owning a gun for protection was who owned them. Historically, the biggest group to own guns were conservative white men, yet that changed in the 2020s. Due to the widespread fear and uncertainty caused by the pandemic, protests, the election, and other instances, nearly half of the new gun owners were Black or Hispanic and roughly half of them were women. Most of their reasoning was similar to arguments made by more experienced gun owners, being protection at and away from home as well as feeling safer, although some African Americans specified it was protection from police brutality.

It should be noted however that this rise in gun ownership for protection has resulted in an increase in homicide and suicide, with the former rising from around 14,000 in 2019 to over 19,000 in 2020 and the latter from 39,000 to 45,000 in the same period. Furthermore, there have also been increased incidents of police or even armed citizens firing on others they mistook for being armed, with police having (on occasion) fired on a person who appeared to be withdrawing a gun but was only withdrawing their keys or wallet. This is a mindset that some scientists say is similar to the saying of “when you hold a hammer everything is a nail”.

For Fun

Other than self defense, hunting and recreational sports such as skeet shooting, range shooting, or plinking (shooting at items such as tin cans) were arguably the most popular reasons for owning a gun, although this reasoning, particularly for hunting, has declined over the years. At their peak in 1982, the 16.7 million people who hunted made up about 7 percent of the US population. And while there was a small rise in the number of hunters between 2010 and 2022, their numbers in comparison to US population size had shrunk, comprising only 4% of the population

The main reasons for a decline in such activities can be summed up to it being an activity of the past. While there is of course the obvious reason that people don’t need to hunt for food anymore like back during the frontier days, the biggest reason is a change in demographic. Historically, hunters consist of baby boomers who were white, however many other ethnic groups such as African Americans or Hispanics have little connection to hunting and the new urbanized generation has a greater interest in newer recreational activities in modern technology, meaning the baby boomers won’t be replaced. Furthermore, hunting is hardly cheap, with people needing to buy not only guns but specific outfits, tents, equipment, etc. This actually leads into a bit of a problem when it comes to hunting’s decline.

While this may not seem that bad (especially for Bambi), it does actually pose a problem to major Wildlife Agencies, as 60-80% of their funding comes from taxes on ammunition, guns, and other equipment. This means that wildlife agencies can’t protect the environment as effectively as they used to, and has become such a problem that some agencies have resorted to the R3 program, which is trying to recruit and attract new hunters with little success.

Conclusion

Even before the US officially became a sovereign nation, its people have always had the right to own weapons. However as time passed, not only did the guns evolve and change, but so did the reasons. Unlike in the past, hunting is no longer necessary and as popular as it used to be. And while it still remains as a major reason to use firearms, it has been outshined by the desire for self protection, a justification that goes all the way back to the founding fathers. However, unlike the people of the late 1700s who sought protection from the real threats of Native Americans and British troops as well as the perceived threats of an oppressive government, the people of today seek protection from seemingly more mundane threats in the forms of assault, home invasion, robbery, etc during a time of increased tension and mistrust. 

Now while these desires to protect oneself are reasonable and very fair, there is undoubtedly a downside to owning a gun. While a person may understandably view it as an easy way to protect themself and keep threats at bay, what they may not realise is that they may now be seen as a threat. After all, if their neighbor knew they had a gun, would they always feel safe. What if they are worried about that neighbor who lives near them and has a lethal weapon. What if the police begin to be more cautious around the person in question, knowing they could have a concealed weapon whenever they leave the house. Everytime you reach into your pocket for something in their presence they may get worried. And what of the gun owner themself. What if they get overly nervous about the way someone is acting and decide to shoot first and ask questions later. What if they are in a bad mental space and realise they have easy access to something that can make them feel “better”. Of course, these are just hypotheticals, yet they are hypotheticals that shouldn’t be completely disregarded. After all, a scared man who is armed is a man who can take deadly action.

Works Cited

The Decline of Hunting and Fishing. Wild Life for All. Wild Life for All, wildlifeforall.us/resources/decline-of-hunting-and-fishing/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Doherty, Carrol, et al. "For Most U.S. Gun Owners, Protection Is the Main Reason They Own a Gun." Pew Research Center, by Pew Research Center, Pew Charitable Trusts, 16 Aug. 2023, www.pewresearch.org/politics/2023/08/16/for-most-u-s-gun-owners-protection-is-the-main-reason-they-own-a-gun/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Gray, Sarah. "Here's a Timeline of the Major Gun Control Laws in America." Time's Magazine, 30 Apr. 2019, time.com/5169210/us-gun-control-laws-history-timeline/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Moore, Andrew. "Decline in Hunting Threatens Conservation Funding." College of Natural Resources News, 27 Jan. 2021. CNR News - NC State College of Natural Resources, cnr.ncsu.edu/news/2021/01/decline-hunting-conservation-funding/. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Orrison, Rob. "Militia, Minutemen, and Continentals: The American Military Force in the American Revolution." American Battlefield Trust, by American Battlefield Trust, 15 Dec. 2021, www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/militia-minutemen-and-continentals-american-military-force-american-revolution. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Rabin, Roni Caryn. "Why Some Americans Buy Guns." The New York Times [New York City], 26 July 2023. The New York Times, www.nytimes.com/2023/06/23/health/gun-violence-psychology.html. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Shufro, Cathy. "A Brief History of Guns in the U.S." Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine, 13 Oct. 2021. Hopkins Bloomberg Public Health Magazine, magazine.publichealth.jhu.edu/2021/brief-history-guns-us. Accessed 31 July 2025.

Ward, Julie A., et al. "Reasons for Gun Ownership Among Demographically Diverse New and Prior Gun Owners." American Journal of Preventive Medicine, original series, vol. 67, no. 5, Nov. 2024. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, www.ajpmonline.org/article/S0749-3797(24)00226-5/fulltext. Accessed 31 July 2025.