• Nicole Kravitz-Wirtz, Rocco Pallin, Matthew Miller, Deborah Azrael, and Garen J Wintemute.
• Violence Prevention Research Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of California Davis, Sacramento, California, USA nkravitzwirtz@ucdavis.edu.
• Inj. Prev. 2020 Dec 1; 26 (6): 516-523.

ObjectiveTo describe the prevalence of and factors associated with firearm ownership; the types, subtypes and quantity of firearms owned; and when, where and why firearms were acquired in California.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis of a state-representative, probability-based, internet survey of California adults was conducted in September-October 2018 (n=2558; completion rate 49%). Household firearm ownership was ascertained for all respondents; personal firearm ownership was ascertained only among respondents who reported living in a home with firearms; and information on the types and quantity of firearms owned and details about recently acquired firearms came from firearm owners only.FindingsRoughly one in four (25%, 95% CI 22% to 28%) California adults live in a home with a firearm, including 4.2 million adults-14% (95% CI 13% to 16%) of the adult population-who personally own a firearm. These owners collectively own an estimated 19.9 million firearms (8.9 million handguns). Approximately half (48%, 95% CI 34% to 61%) of the firearm stock in California is owned by the 10% (95% CI 6% to 14%) of owners who own 10 or more firearms, though more than half (54%, 95% CI 47% to 62%) of owners in the state own only one or two firearms. Most (69%, 95% CI 63% to 75%) owners purchased their last firearm from a firearm retailer, usually a handgun purchased primarily for protection against people.ConclusionThis study provides the most detailed and up-to-date information available on firearm ownership and acquisition in California. Results can inform firearm violence prevention efforts and public health, safety and policy development in California and nationally.© Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2020. No commercial re-use. See rights and permissions. Published by BMJ.

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