According to a Gallup poll, the number of Republican women who own firearms has grown substantially in the last 15 years. 

Gallup studied gun ownership trends among the American population in the timeframes of 2007-2012 and 2019-2024. What the Gallup found was that 19% of Republican women owned guns from 2007-2012. However, that number surged to 33% in the recent time period studied.

This figure is actually greater than the percentage of Democratic men, 29%, who own firearms. From 2007-2012,  36% of Democratic men owned firearms, which shows that gun ownership among this demographic has decreased substantially over the last 15 years. Curiously, firearms ownership among independent men fell by 5% down to 39%.

60% of Republican men own firearms, which makes them the most reliable, gun-owning demographic in the US. Among adults in the U.S., gun ownership is hovering close to 30%. 

Of note, gun ownership does see a gender gap. For example, men (43%) are considerably more likely than women (20%) to own firearms. That said, the gender gap has narrowed from 30 points in 2007-2012 to 23 points in 2019-2024.

The partisan gap in gun ownership has actually increased significantly over the last two decades. For example, from 2007-2012, 38% of Republicans and 22% of Democrats were gun owners. On the other hand, 47% of Republicans and 19% of Democrats indicated that they’re gun owners from the time period of 2019-2024. In a similar vein, those who identify as conservatives (45%) are much more likely than self-identified liberals (16%) to be gun owners. 

There’s a strong degree of regionalism in terms of gun ownership patterns. There’s a marked gap in gun ownership rates between Americans living in rural areas (51%) and those residing in major cities (20%). Southern residents (40%) are much more likely than Eastern residents (19%) to be gun owners. 

The 2019-2024 data show a wide gap in gun ownership rates between self-identified rural (51%) and big city residents (20%).

Gun ownership is alive and well in the U.S., despite the constant demonization of the right to bear arms by politicians and the legacy media. Americans have strong, residual pro-Second Amendment instincts that cannot be so easily erased. 

Gun rights have made tremendous progress since the late 1970s. Thanks to the successes of the concealed carry and subsequent constitutional carry movements, millions of Americans have seen their carry rights restored. As a result, the concept of lawfully carrying firearms has become normalized among broad swathes of the American population. 

The surge in crime nationwide has also sparked greater interest in gun ownership and firearms carry. This comes at a time when law enforcement has been largely demonized and even outright defanged by demagogic politicians. Such an environment has left police departments increasingly powerless and short-staffed as many otherwise solid law enforcement officers retire and countless others avoid the law enforcement field altogether. 

Lawful citizens have responded in kind by arming themselves. After all, the most effective first responder against criminals is an armed lawful individual. Women, by virtue of their biology, will be especially vulnerable against violent criminals, who will turn to brute strength to overpower them.

However, the ability to own and use a firearm in self-defense puts otherwise weaker women on a level playing field with criminals. The Second Amendment is ultimately the great equalizer. 

An increasing number of women are recognizing this cold, hard fact, as evidenced by the latest Gallup polls. If women want to remain safe in an America that is marked by growing crime, they would be best served by embracing the right to bear arms.