Women are the largest group of new gun owners (42%) over the past five years in the U.S., according to preliminary data from a study by Harvard University's School of Public Health.

The percentage of new female gun owners reportedly increased by 14 percent over the five years. Roughly 3.5 million women became new gun owners between January 2019 and April 2021.

"The reasons more women are arming themselves vary greatly," VOA News reports on the study.

One-quarter of the women surveyed cited self-defense as the main reason for becoming a new gun owner. Other reasons include civil unrest, increased violence, living alone, and what ZeroHedge describes as "reduction of law enforcement assets during the summer of 2020."

The Harvard study also estimates that "Black Americans" and "Hispanic Americans" made up approximately 20 percent of new gun purchases each.

A similar study by the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) also found women made up one-third of 2021's new gun owners.

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