William English Releases 2026 Gun Survey, Estimating 2.2 Million Defensive Uses

1 articles · Updated · Fox News · Sep 4

English’s redesigned 2026 survey, released online after criticism of his 2021 study, found annual defensive gun use averaged 2.2 million incidents, above the earlier 1.67 million estimate.
26.4 million U.S. adults currently own an AR-15 or similar semiautomatic rifle with a pistol grip, while 44.5 million currently own magazines holding more than 10 rounds.
33.6 million Americans qualify as public carriers in the report, and 70% of gun owners said they carry a handgun for self-defense in at least some circumstances, up from 56% in 2021.
12 states with more than 117 million people have enacted permitless-carry laws since mid-2021, and the Supreme Court’s 2022 Bruen ruling also widened access to public carry.
The survey also found gun ownership becoming more diverse: the share of female gun owners rose 3.5% even after respondents were told to count only firearms they personally own.