LF: Jeb Bush is one of the only Republican candidates who does not own a gun

While Mr Bush is avowedly pro-gun on the campaign trail and supported gun owners as governor of Florida, the fact he does not have one himself may stoke the suspicions of some gun rights activists.

"That he doesn't even own a gun for his own protection strikes me as somewhat disconnected from the reality that many Americans face," said Larry Pratt, executive director of Gun Owners of America, a gun rights group.

Despite a spate of high-profile shootings across the US - and a spike in gun murders this summer - Republicans are overwhelmingly opposed to any new restrictions on guns in the US.

Politicians regularly pose with guns at campaign stops and tout their support from the National Rifle Association (NRA), the powerful gun lobby group that helped stymie Barack Obama's efforts to pass laws to combat gun violence.

Donald Trump lives in New York City, home to some of America's most stringent gun laws, but appears to own a handgun. His campaign confirmed he has a firearm but declined to give specifics.

Other Republicans were eager to share details of their personal arsenals.

Lindsey Graham, a senator from South Carolina, said he owned about a dozen guns including an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle stamped with the insignia of the Air Force unit he once served with.

Mike Huckabee, whose recent book is titled God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy, wrote that he bought his first .22 calibre rifle at the age of nine and now owns multiple assault rifles.

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee

Although Mr Bush is not a gun owner he has been bullish on gun rights on the campaign trail and a spokeswoman said he "has the strongest record on defending the Second Amendment in the entire presidential field".

Last week he said he believed the US government "should not be involved in gun laws" and that regulations should be left to individual states.

The Democratic National Committee seized on the statement and accused Mr Bush and other Republicans of "excusing the murders of our neighbors as the inevitable price we pay for constitutional liberties".

Mr Bush has used gun rights as a political cudgel to attack Donald Trump as he tries to bring the billionaire businessman's poll ratings back down to earth.

Mr Bush reminded Republicans of Mr Trump's 2000 book, The America We Deserve, in which the real estate mogul said he supported Bill Clinton's ban on assault weapons and said there should be "slightly longer" waiting periods for people trying to buy guns.

Mr Trump appears to have recanted his support for gun control and told NBC News that gun control laws were a "slippery slope" that would end in Americans' rights to bear arms being violated.

A 2010 list of gun owners in New York City showed Mr Trump had a carry business license, which allowed him to carry a concealed handgun as part of his work.

In order to obtain a carry business license, a person must prove there is valid reason for them to carry a gun at work and submit to an in-person interview by New York police.

It is unclear what reason Mr Trump gave to obtain his license but he could argue his public profile makes him a potential target.

Mr Trump said in July this year that he still has both a gun and a license but told a reporter it was "none of your business" if he ever used it.

Chris Christie, who does not own a gun, has done little to loosen gun laws in his home state of New Jersey and as a result is one of the NRA's least favourite candidates in the Republican field.

The gun lobby group gave him a C grade for his record on gun rights and he was one of two Republican candidates not invited to the NRA's annual convention earlier this year.