Do nearly half of Mainers have a gun in their home? | Fact brief

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.