Yes.
Research shows nearly half of Mainers have at least one firearm in their home.
A 2020 analysis by nonprofit research group the Rand Corporation estimated 46.8% of Maine households had at least one firearm. Rand used a peer-reviewed model combining surveys with other data, such as hunting licenses and gun-related suicides.
That analysis ranked Maine’s gun ownership rate 22nd nationwide. Montana ranked first, with a household firearm ownership rate of 66.3%, while Massachusetts and New Jersey were tied for the nation’s lowest rate, at 14.7%.
According to Gallup polling conducted in 2020, 32% of U.S. adults said they own a firearm, and 44% said they live in a household with at least one gun.
Pew Research Center polling in 2023 found gun ownership was more common among adults in rural areas (47%) compared with suburban (30%) and urban (20%) residents.
This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.
The Maine Trust for Local News partners with Gigafact to produce fact briefs — bite-sized fact checks of trending claims. Read our methodology to learn how we check claims.
Sources
- The Rand Corporation: State-Level Estimates of Household Firearm Ownership
- Gallup: What Percentage of Americans Own Guns?
- Pew Research Center: For Most U.S. Gun Owners, Protection Is the Main Reason They Own a Gun
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