Survey shows that gun ownership in the U.S. is on the decline

The number of Americans who live in a home with at least one gun is lower than ever, according to the latest General Social Survey, conducted by an independent research organization based at the University of Chicago.

According to the survey's 2014 data, 32 percent of Americans own a firearm or live with someone who does, tying a record low from 2010. It is a steep decline from the late 1970s and 1980s, when close to half of all Americans told researchers they had a gun in their household, The Associated Press reports. It's believed that the drop is tied to fewer people hunting; in 1977, 32 percent of people said they lived with at least one hunter, and today, that number is less than 16 percent.

The survey also found that 14 percent of adults under the age of 35 and 31 percent over the age of 65 own a gun; half of Republicans live in households with at least one gun, which is twice as high as ownership among Democrats or Independents; and 4 in 10 white Americans and less than 2 in 10 blacks and Hispanics live in households with a gun.

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