A Georgetown University poll by William English in July and August 2026, drawing on 51,398 respondents nationwide, estimated that civilians hold 60 million firearms Democrats treat as assault weapons. The same study put AR-15 pattern rifles at 40 million and added 20 million other models in that grouping.

Those figures track earlier National Shooting Sports Foundation counts of nearly 20 million AR and AK style guns in 2020, 24,446,000 in 2022, and more than 32 million by 15 January 2026. English listed home defense as the most common reason given for owning the rifles.