Are men dissatisfied with their penis size more likely to own a gun? Researchers find out

A small team of sociologists from The University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas A&M University, and Florida State University has tested the supposition that men who are unhappy with the size of their penis are more apt to buy a gun—presumably as a way to make up for their perceived shortcomings.

In their paper published in American Journal of Men's Health, the group describes how they analyzed data stored in the 2023 Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics survey, and what they found when they compared penis size satisfaction and gun ownership.

For many years, various entities in the U.S. have claimed that men who buy guns are doing so due to their masculine insecurity, particularly as it relates to the size of their penis. One way to make up for being born with a small penis, they contend, is to buy a gun. But as the researchers on this new effort note, there is little to no existing research to find out if such a claim is true. Because of that, they set out on their own research project.

The approach taken by the team was to obtain access to information on men in the U.S. regarding the issue, held in a database produced by researchers working on the Masculinity, Sexual Health, and Politics survey. Questions asked for the survey included details about both gun ownership and penis size satisfaction. In looking at the answers, the research team found some surprises.

The first surprise was that there was nothing in the database showing that men dissatisfied with their penis size were more likely to buy a gun. The second surprise was that men who were satisfied with their penis size were slightly more likely to buy a gun. They found that such associations were strongest in men between the ages of 18 and 29 and the ages of 45 to 50. The researchers also found that it was weakest in men over 60.

They note that prior research has shown that, on average, men experience a loss of testosterone after age 30. However, some experience a rebound after age 50, which might explain the changes in gun-buying preferences.

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