25 Fun Facts About Guns
Guns have shaped American history, sport, self-defense, and pop culture for over 600 years. Some of the most interesting stories behind firearms involve teenage inventors, spider silk, Italian rifle dynasties from the Renaissance, and a Boy Scout who became one of the most prolific gun designers of all time. Here are 25 fun facts about guns, refreshed with current statistics for 2026.
- The U.S. leads the world in firearms possession. With roughly 4% of the world’s population, the United States accounts for nearly half of all civilian-owned firearms on the planet. Current estimates put privately owned U.S. firearms at over 400 million, with some 2025 estimates approaching 500 million.
- According to the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS), Americans have initiated more than 14 million firearm-related background checks every year for six consecutive years (2020-2025).
- In 2020 and 2021, Americans collectively purchased more firearms than at any other point in the nation’s history. Firearm background checks in those years exceeded 21 million and 19 million respectively, breaking every previous record.
- Although the U.S. is roughly 4% of the global population, American civilians hold an estimated 40 to 46 percent of all civilian-owned firearms in the world.
- Daisy Outdoor Products originally sold windmills. They included a complementary BB gun with every windmill purchase as a promotional gift. The BB guns became so popular that Daisy stopped selling windmills and pivoted to becoming one of the most recognized BB gun manufacturers in the world.
- Riflemen in 1776 used flintlock muskets that fired roughly three shots per minute during the American Revolution. A trained soldier could fire faster, but the loading process of pouring powder, ramming the ball, and priming the pan put a hard ceiling on rate of fire.
- Firearm history dates to roughly 1364 with what was initially branded a “hand cannon.” These early firearms used gunpowder ignited by a slow-burning wick or “match.”
- Samuel Colt is widely credited with designing the modern revolver. Legend says he carved a wooden prototype while at sea at age 16. He filed his actual patent in 1836 at age 22, kicking off the Colt firearms dynasty.
- At one point in history, the crosshairs in precision rifle optics and military instruments were made from the silk of female black widow spiders. The fine, durable silk produced a thin, uniform reticle that was strong, elastic, and capable of withstanding extreme temperatures better than most other materials of the era. The U.S. Army even ran a spider web production shop during World War II.
- In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, the Scarecrow carries a revolver for self-defense during the journey to find the Wizard. It’s a detail most viewers miss, but the prop is visible in several scenes.
- President James A. Garfield’s assassin, Charles J. Guiteau, specifically chose an ivory-handled .44 British Bulldog revolver over a similar wooden-handled model because he believed the ivory version would look better in a museum exhibit after his trial. The pistol was eventually given to the Smithsonian but was lost from the collection sometime later.
- A gun can technically fire in the vacuum of space because modern smokeless gunpowder contains its own oxidizer. The cartridge doesn’t need atmospheric oxygen to combust.
- Beretta is the oldest active firearms manufacturer in the world, founded in 1526 in Brescia, Italy. The company has been continuously owned and operated by the Beretta family for almost 500 years and 15 generations.
- The Dalai Lama once said, “If someone has a gun and is trying to kill you, it would be reasonable to shoot back with your own gun.” His remarks during a 2001 speech at the University of Oregon surprised audiences expecting a strictly pacifist response.
- The American gangster John Dillinger escaped from jail in March 1934 using a wooden pistol he had whittled in his cell. He used the fake weapon to intimidate guards and trustees, and then upgraded to a real machine gun on his way out.
- John Moses Browning designed an astonishing list of firearms that remain in service or production today, including the M1911 handgun, the M2 .50 caliber machine gun, the BAR automatic rifle, the Winchester Model 1894 lever-action rifle, the 1887 lever-action shotgun, and the Auto-5 semi-automatic shotgun. Want to feel the power of one of his most famous designs? Check out our post on experiencing the raw power of the .50 caliber.
- In early Batman comics from 1939 and 1940, Batman used a gun and killed criminals with it. The “no guns” rule that defines the modern Batman was introduced later as the character evolved into a less lethal hero.
- Over the past 50 years, American gun owners have funded over $14 billion in wildlife conservation through the Pittman-Robertson Act, which imposes an 11 percent excise tax on firearms and ammunition. The proceeds fund state wildlife agencies, public hunting lands, and habitat restoration.
- World War II OSS Director William “Wild Bill” Donovan once demonstrated a newly invented gun silencer to President Franklin D. Roosevelt by firing 10 rounds at a sandbag in the Oval Office while FDR dictated a letter. Donovan then turned and told an astonished Roosevelt what he had done, and handed him the smoking gun.
- The world’s smallest fully functional firearm is the Swiss Mini Gun C1ST. It measures just 5.5 centimeters long and fires a tiny 2.34mm cartridge at a muzzle velocity of about 270 feet per second. It costs around $6,500.
- The Colt Single Action Army revolver, nicknamed the “Peacemaker,” was introduced in 1873 and is still in production today. That makes it one of the longest continuously produced firearms in history, with over 150 years of manufacturing.
- Smith & Wesson’s Model 29 .44 Magnum revolver became one of the most famous handguns in cinema after “Dirty Harry” (1971). The film’s success spiked demand to the point that Smith & Wesson sold out of the Model 29 nationally, and used examples reportedly tripled in resale value almost overnight.
- Fully automatic firearms (machine guns) made or registered before May 19, 1986, remain transferable to civilians who comply with the National Firearms Act, but no new machine guns can be added to the civilian registry under the Hughes Amendment. The result is a closed market that has driven prices for transferable machine guns into the tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars. Read more about full-auto firearms here.
- Henry Repeating Arms engraves “Made in America, or not made at all” on every firearm it produces. It’s the company’s explicit nod to its 100 percent domestic manufacturing, which has helped Henry become one of the fastest-growing American firearms manufacturers of the last two decades.
- In 2023, a Ukrainian sniper set a confirmed record for the longest sniper kill at approximately 3,800 meters (over 2.36 miles), eclipsing the previous record of 3,540 meters set by a Canadian special forces operator in Iraq in 2017. Both shots were made with a .50 BMG round.
Frequently Asked Questions About Guns
What was the first known gun?
The earliest known firearm is the Heilongjiang hand cannon, a bronze cannon from China dated to around 1288 AD. By the mid-1300s, hand cannons had spread across Europe and the Middle East. These early firearms used gunpowder ignited by a slow-burning match, and they were heavy, inaccurate, and slow to load, but they fundamentally changed warfare.
What is the world’s oldest gun company still in business?
Beretta of Italy, founded in 1526 in the town of Brescia, holds the title of the oldest firearms manufacturer still in operation. The Beretta family has owned and operated the company continuously for nearly 500 years across 15 generations, making it not only the oldest gun company but one of the oldest family-owned businesses of any kind.
What do cowboys call their pistols?
Cowboys and Old West gunfighters used many nicknames for their revolvers, including “six-shooter” (referencing the six-round cylinder), “hogleg” (for the long-barreled Colt Single Action Army), “smoke wagon,” “shooting iron,” and “thumb-buster.” The Colt Single Action Army earned the formal nickname “Peacemaker,” which became one of the most recognized firearm names in American history.
What types of ammunition are illegal in the United States?
Most ammunition is legal for civilian purchase under federal law, but a few categories are restricted. Armor-piercing handgun ammunition is generally prohibited for civilian sale under 18 U.S.C. § 922(a)(7) and (a)(8). Explosive or incendiary ammunition is regulated under the National Firearms Act and requires ATF approval. Tracer rounds and certain large-caliber projectiles are restricted in some states. State laws can also restrict hollow-point ammunition (notably in New Jersey) and certain magazine capacities. Federal law is generally permissive, but state and local laws vary significantly.
How many guns are owned by civilians in the United States?
Estimates put the total number of civilian-owned firearms in the U.S. at over 400 million, with some 2025 estimates approaching 500 million. That works out to roughly 120 firearms per 100 residents, the highest per-capita firearm ownership rate of any country in the world. The U.S. accounts for somewhere between 40 and 46 percent of all civilian firearms globally despite having only about 4 percent of the world’s population.
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