A new NBC poll showing more than half of American voters (52%) saying they or someone in their household owns a gun is one more affirmation of the importance of the Second Amendment, the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms stated.

According to the NBC poll, this is the highest-ever percentage of voters who acknowledge being in a gun-owning household. The network has been tracking this since 1999. The numbers prove that firearms of all kinds are commonly owned in the U.S. 

“Considering recent history with well-publicized declines in law enforcement ranks, violent crime making headlines on the nighty news and in the morning newspapers, it is no wonder Americans are falling back on the Second Amendment for personal and family safety,” said CCRKBA Chairman Alan Gottlieb. “Why should anyone, including NBC News, be surprised by this revelation? Owning a firearm in this country is a right protected by the Second Amendment and almost all state constitutions, even though far too many politicians treat it as a government-regulated privilege.”

The NBC News national poll found that 66 percent of Republican voters say they or someone in the household owns a gun. Among Independents, the percentage is 45 percent, while only 41 percent of Democrats live in a gun-owning household. Another revelation is that 56 percent of White voters live in a gun-owning household, as do 41 percent of Black voters, which represents a 17-point increase in the latter category over the past four years, according to the NBC data.

“Gun ownership is rising across the national landscape,” Gottlieb observed, “and we are encouraged by what appears to be a cultural shift in America. More people, of all backgrounds, are taking personal responsibility for their safety and that of their families. We appear to be witnessing a significant change in how people look at gun ownership. We have all seen that the gun control and ban agenda has been an abject failure. Crime rates are up in many places. Restrictive gun laws have not disarmed criminals, only the law-abiding.  

“The Citizens Committee encourages all new gun owners to seek competent training from qualified firearms instructors, and to follow all of the established safety rules,” Gottlieb said. “Responsible gun ownership is an American tradition. Despite efforts to regulate the Second Amendment to extinction, this new poll shows Americans are not about to give up their most valued freedom.”