A Georgetown University professor, William English, has released an updated version of his National Firearms Survey, which he says further undermines the arguments made by gun control campaigners. The 2026 survey follows criticism of his original 2021 study, which found that defensive gun use was common among American gun owners and that so-called "assault weapons" were widely and lawfully held; rather than weakening his findings, English says the revised methodology, designed to address critics' objections, produced even stronger results.

The new survey found that an estimated 26.4 million American adults currently own an AR-15-style rifle, up from the 24.6 million previously estimated to have ever owned one, while 44.5 million now own magazines holding more than ten rounds, with gun owners now more likely than not to possess one. The article, an opinion piece, also suggests the original estimate of 1.67 million annual defensive gun uses may have been too low, though the text is cut off before that finding is fully detailed.