The U.S. surgeon general declared gun violence a public health crisis last week, issuing a 39-page advisory on initiatives to prevent firearm deaths. The advisory said the rate of firearm-related deaths “reached a near three-decade high in 2021."
About a third of Americans say they personally own a gun, Pew Research data shows. That statistic reflects the deep-rooted culture of gun ownership in the U.S. Another report found that in the first four months of 2024, nearly 5.5. million firearms were purchased in the country, 146,034 of which were bought in Oregon.
Data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) was analyzed by SafeHomes.org, a safety product review site, to determine which states had the largest ownership of recently purchased firearms.
In 2023, Oregon had the fourth most gun sales per capita, with 1,372 sales per 10,000 people aged 21 or older. The only states with higher sales rates were Montana, Wyoming and Alaska.
Oregon saw its gun sales drop 3% to 446,556 estimated sales in 2023, according to the report. Nationwide and in Oregon, gun sales peaked during the pandemic and have fallen slightly in the following years. For the most part, states with large changes in sales changed their gun control laws in 2023, while states without major changes saw slight decreases.
Measure 114, Oregon's sweeping gun control ballot initiative, was written to go into effect in December 2022 but was blocked in court while it stood trial and eventually struck down as unconstitutional in November 2023. House Bill 2005, another high-profile Oregon gun control measure, was narrowed to focus on ghost guns in the final version that passed in June.
Which states sold the most guns, adjusted for population?
Adjusted for population, Montana, Wyoming, Alaska and Oregon have the highest gun sales rates in SafeHomes' report.
Western states like these "have strong hunting traditions fostered by rural lifestyles and less rigid gun control laws," said Rob Gabriele, SafeHomes' managing editor. "The pro-gun cultures and the need for self-defense in such remote areas, which abound in predators that could harm livestock, may also contribute to higher gun ownership and sales."
Oregon also has a culture with farming and hunting. But Donnie Myers, owner of Springfield gun shop 295 Tactical Firearms and Training, told the Register-Guard that more of his customers are interested in personal or home defense.
"Our number one sales, definitely, is personal protection; concealed carry," Myers said. "I think we're seeing just an increase of crime overall, and so that's where people are concerned. … If you combine the regular sportsman-type activities we have and you start adding a little bit of this home defense or personal protection, that's what's pushing us up there over some of these other states."
A look at the statistics:Gun violence is a public health crisis, surgeon general says
The following states had the highest rate of gun sales, adjusted for population.
- Montana: 1,586 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- Wyoming: 1,523 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- Alaska: 1,514 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- Oregon: 1,372 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- Alabama: 1,302 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- New Hampshire: 1,252 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- 1,207 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- West Virginia: 1,205 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- North Dakota: 1,194 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
- Idaho: 1,149 sold per 10,000 residents aged 21+
Nationwide legal gun sales declined slightly last year
Nationwide gun sales decreased in 2023, Gabriele said. About 16.7 million firearms were sold in the U.S. last year, the report said, down 4% from 2022.
It may come as no surprise that Texas — the second most populated state in the nation — accounted for the largest share of firearms purchased by any state, nearly half a million or 9% of all guns sold through April 2024.
Florida, which passed a law to allow permitless concealed carry in March 2023, saw gun sales go up 1% last year. The Sunshine State was one of only four states to see an increase, with 1,316,471 estimated sales in 2023, according to the report. But that was nothing compared to North Carolina, Gabriele said, which saw a 112% increase in gun sales after their pistol permit law was eliminated in March 2023 by the GOP-led Legislature, overriding the Democratic governor's veto.
The other states to see an increase in SafeHome's report were Illinois (5%), despite a new ban on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, and New Hampshire (3%), which had no new changes in their gun laws.
Meanwhile, the District of Columbia saw a 32% decrease in firearms sales in 2023, Gabriele said, the same year it tightened its firearm background check and registration laws. Other states with recent gun control measures saw their own reductions, including Delaware (18%) and New York (15%). But Louisiana, which didn't see any significant gun control restrictions in 2023, also saw a drop of 15% in firearm sales last year.
As of July 4, 2024, carrying a concealed gun by a non-felon in Louisiana will be legal without a permit.
Which states sold the most guns in 2023?
The states that sold the most guns last year is largely reflected by its population size. The top three states that sold the most guns in 2023 are also the most populated.
According to SafeHomes' analysis of NICS data, these are the states with the most firearms sales in 2023:
- Texas: 1,347,589
- Florida: 1,316,471
- California: 1,043,421
- Pennsylvania: 841,523
- 633,015
- Ohio: 583,314
- Virginia: 581,698
- Michigan: 555,650
- Missouri: 520,488
- Illinois: 504,452
Gun violence reaches an all-time high
According to U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, more than 48,000 people died by gun violence in 2022 — that's an increase of 16,000 deaths compared to 2010. At the same time, firearm-related suicides have increased by 20%, including a “staggering increase” in such deaths among young people, the advisory noted.
Murthy said gun violence demands a public health approach rather than a polarizing political response.
Gun violence became the leading cause of death in children and U.S. adults are worried that they or a loved one will become a victim, according to Reuters. More than half of U.S. adults said that they or a family member experienced a firearm-related incident, a 2023 report from KFF found.
Alan Torres covers local government for the Register-Guard. He can be reached over email at atorres@registerguard.com or on X @alanfryetorres.
This story includes reporting from USA Today Data and Graphics reporter Sara Chernikoff and USA Today Digital Producer C. A. Bridges
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