Gun Control Facts: 60% of High School and College Students Plan to Purchase a Gun

Impact

According to a new national poll conducted by American University, 60% of high school and college students are considering purchasing a firearm at some point in their lives.

Although 36% of those polled said they were “very concerned” about gun violence, 40% of respondents said they planned to own a gun, and 20% were still contemplating it.

More disturbingly, those who played video games for more than four hours a day were 50% more likely to report plans to own a gun. Additionally, half of black respondents feared gun violence as opposed to only 31% of whites. Similarly, Democrats were nearly twice as likely as Republicans to fear gun violence.

Further stats indicated that 50% of those who self-identified as “depressed,” “stressed out,” or who have “difficulty making friends” expressed a desire to purchase a firearm.

“I think the major contribution of the poll results is to demonstrate that now is certainly the time to have a serious conversation about gun control since the next generation is no less likely to plan to own guns,” explained American University professor Jennifer L. Lawless.

The American University poll was based on a national sample of 2,100 college students aged 18-25 and 2,166 high school students aged 13-17, and has a margin of error of +/- 2.2%.