Trump Voters Are Outnumbered by American Gun Owners 3 to 1

Trump Voters Are Outnumbered and Outgunned

Gun ownership in the United States is widespread, but it does not line up neatly with partisan politics. Recent surveys show that about 32% of U.S. adults say they personally own a firearm. With an adult population of roughly 330–335 million, that comes to around 105–110 million total gun owners in the country (Pew Research Center, 2024; Ammo.com analysis of survey data).

Among Trump voters, a YouGov/The Times poll found that 32% say they own a gun. Applying a wide +10% margin of error for a conservative estimate brings that to 42%. With 77,302,580 votes for Trump in 2024, this means roughly 33 million Trump voters are gun owners.

That leaves about 77 million gun owners who are not Trump voters. Even with these generous assumptions, Trump voters are outnumbered by other gun owners by 2.3 to 1.

And that’s the conservative floor. If we remove the +10% margin of error cushion and use the base 32% figure, Trump gun owners drop to about 25 million out of ~110 million. That means the true ratio is 85 million to 25 million—more than 3 to 1.

Real likely number: Trump voters are outnumbered and outgunned by other U.S. gun owners at least 3.4 to 1.

Trump voters don’t have a monopoly on gun ownership or the constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

They often lack nuance in recognizing just how many Americans outside their base also own firearms. The assumption that gun ownership is “their” territory doesn’t hold up, data shows they are wrong.

The American center and left, taken together, own more guns than the far right. Trump voters may be louder and prouder about their guns, but volume does not equal majority. Their narrative is that they are the gun owners of America, the only ones with weapons in hand. In reality, they are just one part of a much larger and more diverse landscape of U.S. gun owners.

Even if Trump supporters collectively possess more firearms per person, it doesn’t change the outcome. In any conflict, one person can effectively only fire one gun at a time. Owning ten, fifty, or even a hundred weapons doesn’t multiply an individual’s ability to use them. Stockpiles don’t change the math.

Trump voters are vastly out numbered, and outgunned. But are they more highly trained or experienced?

Training and Experience Are Not Exclusive

Gun culture often emphasizes skill, discipline, and experience, but Trump voters don’t hold a monopoly there either.

• Military and veterans: About 6% of U.S. adults, over 18 million people, are veterans (Pew Research Center, 2023). While veterans skew more conservative on average, they are spread across the political spectrum. Many support moderate or liberal causes, and their training and combat experience are not confined to Trump’s base.
• Law enforcement: The U.S. has roughly 700,000 sworn officers (National Affairs, 2020). Some are also veterans, creating overlap, but like the military, law enforcement is not politically homogenous. Officers and deputies serve in every county, city, and state, reflecting a wide range of political affiliations.
• Civilian training: Millions of Americans outside the military and police pursue structured firearms education. Surveys show that 61% of firearm owners have had some formal training (RAND Corporation), and hunter education programs certify over 1 million people annually (U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service). Concealed carry permit holders—numbering over 22 million nationwide (CRPC, 2022), also undergo mandatory training in most states. Many civilians participate in NRA and non-NRA certification programs, as well as competitive shooting sports. These civilians are often highly skilled shooters, and their politics range from left to right and everything in between.

In short, training is widespread and diverse. Trump voters are not uniquely out-trained. Skill and discipline exist across the entire political spectrum just as ownership does.

What It All Means

Hopefully, there will never be a conflict in our nation. The Second Amendment is about rights and responsibility, not division or civil war. But if there ever were such a fracture, the political right is badly miscalculating the balance of power.

Trump voters often speak as if they alone embody American gun ownership. The data proves otherwise. They are outnumbered in raw ownership, matched in training and experience, and balanced across every demographic and region. Millions of law-abiding Americans outside the MAGA orbit, veterans, police, hunters, sport shooters, and concealed carriers—also own firearms and have training.

And if it ever comes down to a second American civil war, the ones coming for the guns likely won’t be the left. It will be their own far right, because that’s what the far right does: they paint the opposition as “terrorists” and start kicking in doors. The moment they do, they will turn the rest of their own moderate right against them. There are many good American citizens on the right who see the writing on the wall and would not tolerate such a blatant infringement of the Second Amendment by anyone, be it left or right, red or blue. Those that honor their oath to the U.S. Constitution will recognize the tyrants for who they are when they finally show their true colors.

In short: the right is seriously overestimating its numbers and underestimating the scale of other gun-owning Americans. Gun ownership is not their exclusive territory, and if they imagine otherwise, they are fooling themselves.