Why do women buy guns? How many guns do they buy? What kinds of guns do they buy? Those and other questions found answers with the release of a new NSSF report on women and firearms. The report itself is available to NSSF members and the media through their blog, but GunsandAmmo.com have released their own analysis of the report, which helps shed light on common stereotypes about guns and the women who own them:

Based on the data, it appears that many long-held stereotypes regarding women and gun ownership are wrong. More women are buying guns, many are buying more than one, and it appears as if they are shooting them with some regularity.

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So how many ladies made their decision based on a firearm’s feminine look and feel? Only 19 percent. Even fewer, less than 10 percent, chose a firearm based on a feminine color and fewer still were impressed by firearms adorned with leopard spots and flowers. This trend was consistent across both age and geography with younger women and women in the Northeast only slightly more interested in pink guns than women in older age groups.

Get ready for this: Nearly 25 percent of women chose a firearm for its “military look and feel.”

The traditional stereotypes regarding women and firearms have proven to be largely misunderstood. Women are buying guns that best fit their needs and bodies, not those that fit in the traditionalist’s view of what a woman should have.

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It became clear to G&A from the data in this report that women are highly informed buyers when it comes to making a firearm purchase. Women are spending a great deal of time considering their purchase and are actively seeking out multiple information sources before joining the gun-owning fraternity.

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Women today are buying guns for everything from collecting to competition shooting, but the primary factor influencing women to purchase a firearm is clearly their personal safety and that of their loved ones. This is perhaps the least-surprising conclusion that we’ve seen from the data and one area where the stereotype meets reality.

When we examine the NSSF’s report in its entirety, the data tells us that women are buying guns for self-defense, buying the right hardware for that purpose, and that they are seeking professional training to use them safely and effectively. As gun owners, we should all be supportive and encouraging this movement forward and avoid reinforcing age-old social stereotypes.

While these excerpts give the general picture of the report’s contents, I – as always – highly recommend our readers read the whole analysis, which comes in four parts: Part I, Part II, Part III, and Part IV.