United States · Civilian ownership

How many guns are in America?

Live estimate

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Supply-based projection of U.S. civilian firearms. A July–August 2026 survey estimated 461 million privately owned firearms. Compare the estimates.

Projected pace

Daily increase

As of · Eastern time

Supply-model projection

Time to 600 million firearms

If the current modeled pace continues, the national estimate reaches 600 million on .

—Days

—Hours

—Minutes

—Seconds

Daily counter · Eastern time

Today’s new firearms by type

Estimated additions since midnight, using each type’s share of U.S. net supply in 2023–2024.

How the breakdown works

For each type, we add U.S. manufacturing and imports, then subtract manufacturers’ exports. We pool both years and use those shares to divide today’s running total into whole firearms. ATF groups imported pistols and revolvers under handguns. Its import table lists handguns, rifles, and shotguns only. The miscellaneous estimate uses domestic production less reported exports and includes some frames and receivers.

ATF commerce report · Exhibits 1–3

ATF · Domestic production

What manufacturers made

Year

Historical data

Annual net supply

U.S. production plus imports, less manufacturers’ exports. Figures in millions of firearms.

View exact ATF figures

Year	Made	Imported	Exported	Net supply

Methodology

Behind the clock

We start with NSSF’s estimate of 506.1 million firearms at the end of 2023. Adding 2024 net supply gives about 520.6 million at the end of 2024. This extends an industry estimate using a broader ATF supply measure. NSSF reported 13.57 million made available in 2023 across handguns, rifles and shotguns. The clock’s ATF calculation gives 15.23 million for 2023 and includes miscellaneous firearms. The two series use different coverage.

What makes the clock tick?

From January 1, 2025 UTC, we spread the combined 2023 and 2024 net supply evenly over time at those two years’ average pace. Using both years smooths annual fluctuations while keeping the rate tied to recent data. Both clocks use the same projection. Today’s counter subtracts the national estimate at midnight in New York from the current estimate. It resets each Eastern midnight, including on daylight-saving transition days. Each tick represents a modeled addition rather than an individually reported sale.

How do the ownership estimates compare?

William English’s July–August 2026 survey estimated 461 million privately owned firearms from owners’ responses. On August 1, a reference date within the survey period, this clock’s supply model projected 544.1 million. Survey estimates depend on participation, recall and weighting. Supply estimates depend on the starting stock and how much new supply reaches and stays in civilian hands.

A different starting point changes the answer substantially. A household survey estimated 326 million guns in August 2019, with a 95% confidence interval of 258–394 million. Starting there, adding net supply from mid-August onward, and applying the same projection gives million today. This illustrates baseline sensitivity. The survey’s interval applies only to 2019.

Both calculations assume all net supply adds to civilian holdings. Destruction, dealer inventory, law-enforcement purchases, and exports outside the manufacturer series can push the estimate high. Privately made firearms can push it low. ATF includes some frames and receivers. A resale or background check adds nothing to the clock.

Research sources

William English · 2026 National Firearms Survey working paper

NSSF · Civilian stock through 2023

ATF · 2025 commerce report, exhibits 1–3

Berrigan, Azrael & Miller · 2019 household survey