Gun ownership hits record high as Americans blame politicians for rising crime

Americans are obtaining firearms at a “stunning” pace despite efforts by political and media operatives to crack down on guns.

Fifty-two percent of American voters say they or someone in their household owns at least one gun, according to a recent NBC News poll, a 10-point increase from 2013.

"In the last ten years, we've grown [10 points] in gun ownership. That's a very stunning number," said Public Opinion Strategies Partner Micah Roberts. Public Opinion Strategies is the Republican polling firm that conducted the poll alongside Democrat polling firm Hart Research. "By and large, things don't change that dramatically that quickly when it comes to something as fundamental as whether you own a gun," Roberts added.

The number includes 66% of Republicans and 41% of Democrats. But the biggest increase appears to be among Black Americans, 41% of whom say they or someone in their household owns a gun. In 2019 that number was 24%, marking a 17-point increase in gun ownership among Blacks in just four years.

Furthermore, most Americans across all political parties are pro-gun ownership. A Harvard/Harris poll published last week found that 63% of Americans think owning a gun is necessary, including most Democrats (54%) and Republicans (77%).

And while politicians wage a fierce war on guns due to “gun violence,” American voters blame the politicians themselves for rising crime. Fifty-five percent of Americans — including 42% of Democrats — say woke politicians are responsible for skyrocketing crime rates.

Most voters also believe the Justice Department is focusing more on prosecuting its political opponents than criminals. And despite the Biden administration’s insistence that “White supremacy” is America’s biggest threat, most Americans disagree and think groups like Antifa present a greater threat.

Last year a University of Chicago poll found that over a quarter of Americans feel it may soon be time to exercise the Second Amendment and take up arms against the government. The survey of 1,000 Americans found that 28% of voters feel “it may be necessary at some point soon for citizens to take up arms against the government.” Thirty-seven percent of those voters owned guns, a number that has likely risen given more recent survey results.

In addition, 73% of Republicans and 51% of Democrats feel the government is “corrupt and rigged against everyday people like me."