2021 BRFSS Survey Results: North Carolina

Firearm Safety

The next questions are about safety and firearms. Some people keep guns for recreational purposes such as hunting or sport shooting.
People also keep guns in the home for protection. Please include weapons such as pistols, shotguns, and rifles: but not BB guns or guns that cannot fire.
Include those kept in a garage, outdoor storage area, or motor vehicle.

Are any firearms kept in or around your home?

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  Total
Respond.^		 Yes No
N % C.I.(95%) N % C.I.(95%)
North Carolina 3,767 1,543 42.1 40.2-44.2 2,224 57.9 55.8-59.8
-Non-Hispanic White 2,342 1,144 50.9 48.4-53.4 1,198 49.1 46.6-51.6
GENDER
Male 1,050 586 57.8 54.2-61.3 464 42.2 38.7-45.8
Female 1,292 558 45.1 41.7-48.7 734 54.9 51.3-58.3
AGE
18-34 364 172 49.5 43.4-55.7 192 50.5 44.3-56.6
35-44 312 156 53.6 47.1-60.0 156 46.4 40.0-52.9
45-54 368 195 54.1 48.1-59.9 173 45.9 40.1-51.9
55-64 422 214 53.6 47.7-59.4 208 46.4 40.6-52.3
65-74 517 250 49.5 43.7-55.2 267 50.5 44.8-56.3
75+ 336 144 44.5 37.7-51.4 192 55.5 48.6-62.3
EDUCATION
Less Than H.S. 120 *** *** *** *** *** ***
H.S. or G.E.D. 483 271 58.7 53.4-63.8 212 41.3 36.2-46.6
Some Post-H.S. 639 330 52.3 47.6-56.9 309 47.7 43.1-52.4
College Graduate 1,098 486 45.1 41.8-48.5 612 54.9 51.5-58.2
HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Less than $15,000 90 *** *** *** *** *** ***
$15,000- 24,999 153 57 42.8 33.0-53.1 *** *** ***
$25,000- 34,999 217 107 51.9 43.3-60.3 110 48.1 39.7-56.7
$35,000- 49,999 244 133 54.4 46.7-61.9 111 45.6 38.1-53.3
$50,000- 74,999 329 177 57.3 50.7-63.7 152 42.7 36.3-49.3
$75,000+ 904 472 54.3 50.4-58.1 432 45.7 41.9-49.6
FUNCTIONAL DISABILITY
Yes 742 361 50.5 45.9-55.0 381 49.5 45.0-54.1
No 1,584 778 51.3 48.3-54.3 806 48.7 45.7-51.7
VETERAN STATUS
Veteran 292 196 65.8 58.9-72.1 96 34.2 27.9-41.1
Non-Veteran 2,049 948 49.1 46.4-51.8 1,101 50.9 48.2-53.6
RURAL-URBAN CATEGORY1
Urban 671 249 38.8 34.5-43.2 422 61.2 56.8-65.5
Regional City or Suburban County 643 313 51.0 46.4-55.7 330 49.0 44.3-53.6
Rural 1,028 582 59.8 55.8-63.6 446 40.2 36.4-44.2
EMPLOYMENT STATUS
Employed or Self-Employed 1,225 643 54.7 51.3-57.9 582 45.3 42.1-48.7
Unemployed 86 *** *** *** *** *** ***
Retired 761 345 46.6 41.8-51.4 416 53.4 48.6-58.2
Unable to Work 149 74 51.9 42.6-61.1 75 48.1 38.9-57.4
Other not in Labor Force 116 *** *** *** *** *** ***
POVERTY LEVEL2
Less than 50% 21 *** *** *** *** *** ***
50% to 100% 127 *** *** *** *** *** ***
101% to 150% 145 64 48.3 38.0-58.8 *** *** ***
151% to 200% 185 99 56.5 47.6-65.0 86 43.5 35.0-52.4
More than 200% 1,454 755 53.9 50.9-57.0 699 46.1 43.0-49.1
HOUSING
Own 1,795 948 54.6 51.8-57.5 847 45.4 42.5-48.2
Rent 405 127 31.2 26.1-36.8 278 68.8 63.2-73.9
Other arrangement 135 *** *** *** *** *** ***
NC DEPT OF COMMERCE COUNTY TIER3
Most Distressed Counties (Tier 1) 534 304 59.0 53.3-64.5 230 41.0 35.5-46.7
Less Distressed Counties (Tier 2) 1,070 530 53.3 49.6-57.0 540 46.7 43.0-50.4
Least Distressed Counties (Tier 3) 738 310 43.3 39.1-47.5 428 56.7 52.5-60.9
CDC SOCIAL VULNERABILITY INDEX4
1st Quartile - Least Vulnerable 804 338 46.2 41.9-50.5 466 53.8 49.5-58.1
2nd Quartile 633 324 51.7 47.0-56.3 309 48.3 43.7-53.0
3rd Quartile 659 335 52.0 47.3-56.8 324 48.0 43.2-52.7
4th Quartile - Most Vulnerable 246 147 65.0 57.0-72.3 99 35.0 27.7-43.0

Back to Firearm Safety.

PLEASE NOTE: Due to changes in the weighting methodology and other factors, results from 2021 are NOT comparable to 2010
and earlier years.

***The estimate was suppressed because it did not meet statistical reliability standards. See BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for more details.

1Based on U.S Census Bureau population estimates at the county level. Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

2Based on 2021 U.S Census Bureau poverty threshold incomes. Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

3NC Dept. of Commerce County Tier Classification, based on respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

4Quartile of Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Social Vulnerability Index
(https://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/placeandhealth/svi/index.html) for respondent’s county of residence.
Please see the BRFSS 2021 Annual Results Technical Notes for details.

^Use caution in interpreting cell sizes less than 50, % = Percentage, C.I.(95%) = Confidence Interval (at 95 percent probability level).
Percentages are weighted to population characteristics and therefore cannot be calculated exactly from the numbers in this table.

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This page was generated on 19AUG22.

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