Women and Gun Ownership (Research Note 45)

Policy and research dealing with the relationship between women and firearms usually stress the role of women as victims. Of the estimated 66,000 annual homicides of women committed each year, roughly 40 percent involve firearms. Guns are even more commonly used to injure, intimidate, and coerce women.

Although some women own and use guns, policy and research on firearms tend to focus on the role of and effects on men.

The Small Arms Survey Research Note Women and Gun Ownership shows that women account for a much smaller proportion of gun owners than men, and that women are not as aware of—or not as willing to acknowledge—the presence of firearms in homes and communities.

The Research Note examines what can be said with relative certainty about the relationship between women and firearms ownership, in order to establish a baseline for systematic analysis and policy-making.

The study discusses issues relating to gender regarding data gathered from firearm registration and from household surveys, and women’s perceptions of firearms in the home and the community.

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