The data show that the percentage of women who have a gun at home has fluctuated between a high of 27.4 percent in 1977 and a low of 8.1 percent in 1991. Women who own guns tend to be older, living in rural counties, predominantly in the South, and married. The findings also indicated that gun ownership was more prevalent among women who supported the death penalty and opposed gun control legislation. Women living with no children at home were more likely to own a gun than women living with young children; women with adolescents in their households were more likely to own a gun than women who did not live with teenagers. Race, education, fear of crime, victimization, and attitudes toward the courts' handling of offenders were not correlated with gun ownership. 2 tables, 5 figures, 1 note, and 25 references