RESEARCH INTO GUN owners in America has found that they tend to be white, male, married and live in the south of the country.

The research, which was published today and based on data from six separate Gallup polls over the past six years, found that 30 per cent of Americans say that they own a gun.

Men are three times more likely than women to own a gun while older people are far more likely to own guns than young people.

Unsurprisingly, gun ownership is far higher among people who describe themselves as politically conservative (39 per cent) than among those who are liberal (17 per cent).

The research found gun owners were far more likely to be non-Hispanic white (33 per cent)  rather than  black, Asian or Latino (22 per cent). Gallup noted that Hispanic people had an especially below average gun ownership at 18 per cent.

Gun ownership varies significantly throughout the US with people living in southern states 1.7 times more likely to own a gun than someone who does not live in a southern state.

Marriage was also a strong predictor of gun ownership: 37 per cent of people who own guns are married compared to 22 per cent who were non-married.

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