A growing number of women are purchasing firearms for the first time. Many attribute this trend to a combination of Donald Trump’s policies, which have empowered them to exercise their Second Amendment rights, and a heightened sense of fear due to the current political climate in the United States.

Since the beginning of 2020, over 20 million Americans have become new gun owners, and women, particularly those from minority backgrounds, account for a notable portion of this increase.

Grace Boatright, a firearms safety instructor, has noticed a surge in women enrolling in her classes to gain a better understanding of gun laws and safety practices for owning and carrying a firearm.

‘The face of the American gun owner has changed a lot in the last 10 years, and it’s getting more diverse by the minute, which is a good thing,’ said Boatright, a range officer for the National Rifle Association (NRA) and owner of Finesse Firearms Training.

Around 26.2 million people bought their first firearm from the start of 2020 through to the end of 2024, according to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF).

The largest increase occurred in 2020 when 8.4 million Americans armed themselves – with 40 per cent of purchasers citing pandemic uncertainty and social unrest in the US as the reasons.

Linda Sanders, 62, is a public transportation bus operator in Virginia and first-time gun owner. She attended the NRA’s concealed carry safety course on June 1 after feeling increasingly unsafe at work and when at home alone

President Donald Trump has vowed to expand gun rights 

A study by Northeastern University found that half of the 5.4 million new gun owners from January 2020 to April 2021 were female, and 40 per cent were black or Hispanic.

The rise in ownership could be leading to less restrictive firearms laws nationwide.

‘I’d say gun laws have got looser,’ Boatright said. ‘The world has been a little crazy lately – that’s usually what inspires most folks to come to these classes, in general.

‘But somehow, your Second Amendment rights have expanded in the last four or five years, which is a positive thing.’

The surge in gun owners has also emboldened Congress to move on a bill making it easier for Americans with concealed carry licenses to freely pack heat in all 50 states.

Representative Richard Hudson (R – North Carolina) is spearheading legislation that would create a national concealed carry reciprocity law – meaning that anyone licensed in one state could legally carry a gun to another.

The President has signaled support for the bill if it passes in Congress, having repeatedly insisted that he wants to expand Second Amendment rights.

‘I will protect the right of self-defense everywhere it is under siege,’ he said in a February 2023 speech.

‘And I will sign concealed carry reciprocity. Your Second Amendment does not end at the state line.’

Rising gun ownership and the expansion in the demographics who are interested in firearms and concealed carry licenses have led to a renewed effort to have the federal law reflect the will of Americans.

Boatright speculated that the rise in women buying guns was due to the threat posed during the pandemic, saying that interest had coincided with them getting married later in life, being widowed early or becoming in some other capacity responsible for their household’s protection.

Linda Sanders, 62, a public transportation worker in Virginia, told the Daily Mail that she had never felt more unsafe in her 25 years as a bus operator than in recent years.

Her fiancé travels for work and oftentimes she is at home alone, leaving her feeling even more unsteady in the current climate.

Sanders said she purchased her first handgun on May 22 and a few days later attended the 16-hour course required to obtain her concealed carry license in Maryland and Washington, DC, as well as in Virginia and Utah.

Despite the intensive requirements, Sanders appreciated the classroom instruction and gun range time to get acquainted with her new weapon and more familiar with the laws surrounding ownership of a pistol.

Grace Boatright (left) owns Finesse Firearms Training and is an NRA Range Officer. She noted the recognizable uptick since 2020 of women buying their first gun and getting their concealed carry licenses

Sanders supports the idea of concealed carry reciprocity legislation because it would avoid the confusion that often comes with being a gun owner as to state-to-state laws.

‘I would welcome that for the simple fact that it’s so complicated,’ she said of understanding different state laws on carrying.

The sport of shooting had also been on the rise along with social media activity making other women feel more confident and comfortable about owning and carrying a firearm, Boatright said.

‘I think that’s all been an awesome development,’ she told the Daily Mail in an interview at the NRA headquarters in Fairfax ahead of a concealed carry class.

‘I don’t even want to call it a trend,’ she added. 

‘Trend implies temporary. I think this is just the way it’s going to be now.

‘I also think, in many aspects, this sport and responsibility is getting ever more obtainable and approachable. I hope that’s what I accomplish, frankly – helping more women feel that they can do this, and then helping them realize in the midst of it that they’re enjoying doing this and it’s not homework.’

The push for national concealed carry rights is gathering steam. Hudson’s bill – HR-38 – has 183 co-sponsors, including one Democrat, Rep Jared Golden, of Maine. 

John Commerford, the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Executive Director,  told the Daily Mail: ‘HR-38 would eliminate the ending of your right to self defense when you cross the state line.’ 

He said that concealed carry state reciprocity should be a no-brainer.

The idea, Commerford explained, was for a concealed carry permit to work like a driver’s license. Someone in one state could easily and freely drive their vehicle from their home state across multiple other state lines to a final destination in another state.

‘Driving is a privilege,’ he said, ‘but for readers out there, they understand that they can drive from Virginia to Florida and have no issue.

‘We feel that you should be able to have your constitutional protected rights to self defense when you drive from Virginia to Florida and you have a concealed carry permit – because this is a right, not a privilege.’ 

The legislation had been overshadowed by President Trump’s sweeping budget proposal, dubbed the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Now that it’s cleared the House, Commerford said the NRA would restart the campaign to pass reciprocity early this month.

‘This is NRA’s top priority,’ Commerford said.

Hudson, who is chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC), is re-upping the legislation with renewed support from Judiciary Committee members, including Rep Jim Jordan (R – Ohio). 

The proposal now needs to go to the House Rules Committee before it can advance to the floor for a full vote by the lower chamber.