About seven in ten residents of Lithuania own or used to own a weapon. Among all nations of the European Union (EU), Lithuanians are the ones who buy firearms for self-defence most often, shows a survey by Eurobarometer, cited by TNS LT pollster today.
The majority of Lithuanian residents – 85 per cent – say they do not own a weapon, as compared with the EU average of nine in ten EU citizens.
In Lithuania, 43 per cent of current or former gun owners said they bought the weapons for self-defence, an indicator that puts Lithuania and the Czech Republic in the leading position in the EU. Meanwhile, the overall EU average is considerably lower – 14 per cent of gun owners buy them for self-defence.
Another 28 per cent of gun owners in Lithuania have or had the guns for professional reasons, for instance, work in the police, the army, security companies, etc., while 16 per cent bought them for hunting and 12 per cent for sports.
Meanwhile, Europeans mainly buy guns for hunting (35 per cent), as well as are more active in sports that involve firearms (23 per cent).
The poll of 1,000 Lithuanian residents and 26,555 EU residents was carried out in September of 2013.
Yoy can find the Eurobarometer here:
https://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/flash/fl_383_en.pdf
Source: the Lithuanian Tribune