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The question, "Should Buddhists own Guns?"
The question should rather be,"What attitude or mind set should Buddhists who own weapons have regarding their ownership and use of said weapons?"

Even if guns are unlikely to disappear, that does not make their presence harmless. Guns in homes make people far more likely to be killed or to die by suicide, and the “good guy with a gun” rarely stops mass shootings, often making situations worse.

The Second Amendment was written for a very different time, today, citizens cannot realistically defend against modern police or the military, but real people are being killed daily in preventable ways. Stronger licensing, background checks, safe storage, and limits on high-capacity weapons would save lives. Treating guns as inevitable ignores the human suffering they cause.

Again we need to agree to disagree.

I own 3 guns, passively acquired by gift or inheritance. Wouldn't care to generalize about whether I, or anyone else, should have them or not.

@Shoshin1 said:

I also don't feel comfortable with the notion of "should". People, and Buddhists, can do what they want with their lives.

Yes, a Buddhist can technically do whatever they want (and I know I often do), but the real question is whether those choices move us toward liberation and compassion, or deeper into suffering and entanglement.

Bearing in mind that guns were developed for the purpose of killing or maiming, their very existence sits uneasily alongside the Buddhist precept of avoiding harm.

I think its similar to the question of political involvement. Does it move us toward liberation and compassion, or deeper into suffering and entanglement?

@RobinH said:
I mean that if violence has a culture I'd rather be known as non-violent. Which, in that way would seem like the radical alternative.

Non-violence has a long tradition in India and Tibet, for instance. I recall a story about how Tibetans would sweep the ground with soft brushes in front of a gate, in order to not harm ants and small beetles who may be walking there when the wooden gates were opened. The Jains of India have a strict tradition of not eating after dark, because one may not see insects who land on the food and harm them by eating them. This kind of level of respect for ahimsa, non-violence, is rare in the world.

In the Western world we have largely outsourced violence. The butcher slaughters animals for the meat on your dinner table, the police tackle thieves and robbers, the prison service detains jailed criminals, the army defends the country. Violent action is taken on your behalf, and sometimes without your consent.

I can say I don't own a gun. I feel like it would create a certain amount of violence in my mind contemplating its potential use.

I also don't feel comfortable with the notion of "should". People, and Buddhists, can do what they want with their lives. I might ask them to reflect on how owning or not impacts their mind and practice. We're not all in the same circumstances or mind set.

I hadn't reflected on this question in a while so I googled a bit and an old thread came up that I found interesting.
https://newbuddhist.com/discussion/24890/buddhists-and-guns/p1

My own attitude around guns in the US is that there should be more requirements for owning one, similar to driving licenses. To own one you need to pass a basic written test on safety, most gun deaths are accidental or suicide. To be able to carry one training courses with refreshers courses would be required.

I asked this question to AI and this was its reply:

That’s a thoughtful question, and one Buddhists have reflected on for centuries. The answer isn’t a simple yes or no but depends on how one understands and applies Buddhist teachings, especially the First Precept: to abstain from taking life.

Traditional Buddhist View: Owning a weapon, especially one designed to kill, is generally seen as contrary to cultivating non-violence (ahimsa) and compassion. The Buddha discouraged making or trading in weapons, and advised against professions connected with killing. From this standpoint, a gun would symbolise potential harm.

Practical/Modern View: Some Buddhists live in contexts where safety is a real concern. They may argue that owning a gun for protection does not necessarily mean an intent to kill—it could serve as a deterrent. But this is ethically tricky: the moment one uses it, the precept against harming is at risk of being broken.

Inner Reflection: Buddhism often asks: what is the motivation? If a gun is owned out of fear, anger, or desire for control, it strengthens unwholesome states of mind. If it is kept with the thought of protecting others, the owner must still weigh the karmic consequences of possibly harming.

Middle Way Response: Some Buddhist teachers suggest that the best approach is to cultivate alternative forms of protection—community, mindfulness, de-escalation skills—rather than relying on a tool made for killing.

So, what do you think?
Should a Buddhist own a gun ?

If you own a gun, why did you purchase one ?

I guess this mainly applies to people in the US, where for many, guns are part and parcel of daily life, but from a Buddhist perspective the question isn’t about rights or culture so much as whether owning a weapon nourishes fear or compassion.