According to the Small Arms Survey - an independent global research project based in Geneva, Switzerland - half of all the firearms owned by private citizens in the world, for non-military purposes, are in the United States.
The survey states that the number of firearms exceeds the country’s population: 393 million guns to 328 million people.
Gun ownership is guaranteed by the Second Amendment of the US Constitution, which dates back to 1791 and has long been a controversial issue in American legal, political and social discourse.
Those who argue for the repeal of the Second Amendment or introduction of stricter gun control say that the Second Amendment was intended for militias; that stronger regulation will reduce gun violence; and that a majority of Americans, including gun owners, support new restrictions.
Second Amendment supporters state that it protects an individual’s right to own guns; that guns are needed for self-defence against threats ranging from local criminals to foreign invaders; and that gun ownership deters crime rather than causes more crime.
According to the independent Gun Violence Archive, the US has had more mass shootings than any country on the planet, with 633 mass shootings in 2020 alone.