Guns

Women Are Better Armed Than Ever

The technology of self-defense is more widely distributed than in the past.

J.D. Tuccille | 10.2.2026 7:00 AM

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(Illustration: Midjourney)

At least as far back as the 16th century, the powers that be fretted that firearms grant those of lesser physical strength and lacking martial training the ability to defend themselves—even against the state's professional enforcers. Women have particularly benefited from weapons that work independent of muscle mass. Despite that equalizing power, gun ownership long remained a largely masculine pursuit for cultural reasons that might be worthy of research. But women have been catching up. These days, the ranks of new gun owners break down almost evenly between the sexes.

You are reading The Rattler from J.D. Tuccille and Reason. Get more of J.D.'s commentary on government overreach and threats to everyday liberty.

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Women Are Half of New Gun Owners

"In recent years, women made up almost half of all new gun owners, a striking shift from the historical norm, when women accounted for about 24 percent of gun owners," Rosanna Smart and Andrew R. Morral of the RAND Corporation recently wrote. "After more than a decade of stable gun ownership, women's ownership rose starkly between 2018 and 2021, going from 10 percent of adult women owning guns in 2018 to 15 percent in 2021, then up again slightly to 16 percent by 2024."

They add that the big surge in women's gun ownership has occurred since 2018 and, almost without exception, is seen across the board without regard to race, age, income, party identification, or education.........

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