By Dave Workman
Editor-in-Chief
An online publication, Legal Reader, is reporting how Americans own guns for many reasons, and one thing the most recent data shows is that “female gun ownership (has) increased by 5-15 percent since 1980, while male gun ownership decreased by 11 percent.”
This tends to confirm what the National Shooting Sports Foundation has been saying, that women comprise the fastest-growing segment of the shooting public. According to the NSSF’s annual report on first-time gun buyers for 2024, “Women comprised nearly three quarters (70.5%) of the sample as compared to 2020 where women were slightly less than half (47.1%) of the sample. And, a significant proportion of the sample was comprised of African Americans (24.2%) and Latinos/Hispanics (9.9%).”
The Legal reader report noted that last year (2025), “most male and female gun owners cited protection as a major reason for owning a gun.”
Also last year, an average of 39 percent of men and 19 percent of women answering a self-reporting survey said they are gun owners. Another revelation in the Legal Reader article was, “Women report owning guns at much higher rates in 2025 than they did in 1980…In 1980, only 10% of women reported owning a firearm. Female gun ownership increased to 15% during the 2000s and 2010s. It rose again between 2020 and 2025 by 5 to 10%, with up to 25% of women now claiming personal gun ownership on surveys.”
Right. The data on women gun owners doesn’t jibe, but what it does indicate is that increasing numbers of women are armed.
Perhaps a good authority on this is Robyn Sandoval, president and CEO at A Girl & A Gun. She travels a lot around the country participating in shooting events and instruction for female gun owners.
“Over the past several years,” Sandoval observed, “we have had a front-row seat to one of the most significant shifts in the firearms community, and the data is clear: women are not just entering this space, they are staying, growing, and shaping it. At A Girl & A Gun, we have built one of the most comprehensive datasets in the country on female firearm ownership and participation, and what it shows is a market that has matured beyond a moment of surge into a sustained movement.”
She told TGM that the “early wave” of first-time buyers has stabilized, and that today’s female gun buyers are “more intentional.”
“They are seeking out training, building skills, and becoming part of a community that supports their long-term development,” Sandoval explained. “What stands out most is that women are not driven solely by fear. They are drawn in by education and welcomed by relationships, and it is that sense of belonging that keeps them engaged.
“As the leading resource for women’s firearms training,” she added, “we are proud to serve not only as a data authority, but as the most approachable and empowering environment for women to learn, connect, and take ownership of their personal safety. This is not just about buying a firearm. It is about building confidence, competence, and community, and women are leading that movement with purpose.”
The Surveys Say
According to Legal Reader’s research, “In 2025, 77% of male and female gun owners cited personal protection as a reason for owning guns.”
According to NSSF’s report, “For the first purchase, handguns were by far the most popular. The highest percentage of respondents purchased a semiautomatic pistol (64%), with revolvers (17.5%) a very distant second. Respondents in 2024 bought significantly more semiautomatic handguns than respondents in 2020 (42.9%). By contrast, respondents in 2024 bought significantly fewer shotguns (6.2%), rifles (5.3%) and MSRs (4.1%) of all types than in 2020 (9.8%, 13.9%, 10.0%, respectively).”
Sandoval, at A Girl & A Gun, provided data which shows which ethnicity is doing the most buying. White women come in at 75 percent, while Black/African Americans constitute 7 percent and Hispanic/Latina at 6 percent.
However, Sandoval’s data includes a caveat: The recent trend shows that, while whites still retain the 75 percent majority, Hispanic/Latina gun buying has grown to approximately 16.7 percent.
Something else has emerged from Sandoval’s research. Turns out women are entering the field of gun ownership “because they discover training opportunities, often reinforced by social influence (friends/family).”
“Fear-based triggers (crime, unrest, instability) are still major contributors,” her data adds, “but they are secondary to exposure and invitation.”
Back to Legal Reader and this revelation: “In 2020, there were 8.4 million first-time gun buyers. This number dropped to 5.4 million in 2021. The pandemic surge in gun buying coincided with women becoming first-time gun owners at unprecedented rates. According to a 2022 survey of gun retailers, 33% of new gun buyers in 2021 were women.”
Going back in time, “A 2015 study found that 74% of male gun owners have more than one firearm, compared to 53% of female gun owners,” the Legal Reader report noted.
Meanwhile, Sandoval’s group research also explains how women gun owners “are highly motivated” and “growth oriented.” They are interested in confidence, competence and independence, the research said. They are also engaged in ongoing training, not just gun ownership.
“This is not a passive consumer group,” says A Girl & A Gun. “This is an active, self-improving audience.”
