Defensive gun use is one of the most frequently cited topics in the debate over firearms in America. Supporters of gun rights often point to estimates suggesting firearms are used defensively millions of times each year, while critics frequently cite much lower figures from government surveys.
So, which number is correct?
The honest answer is that researchers don’t know with certainty. Defensive gun use clearly occurs, but accurately measuring how often it happens has proven extraordinarily difficult. Understanding why helps explain why estimates vary so dramatically, and why responsible firearm ownership shouldn’t depend solely on any single statistic.
What Is Defensive Gun Use?
Defensive gun use generally refers to an incident in which a civilian uses a firearm to protect himself, herself or another person from a perceived criminal threat.
However, “use” does not always mean the firearm is fired. In some cases, simply displaying a gun may cause an intruder, robber or other would-be attacker to stop or flee. A defensive gun use may also involve drawing a firearm without firing it, using it to prevent a crime already underway or using it to discourage a threat before physical violence begins.
This broad range of situations is one reason defensive gun use is so difficult to measure. Researchers do not always agree on which incidents should count. Some definitions include only cases tied to a reported crime, while others include events in which a firearm appears to have prevented a crime from occurring.
Because many of these incidents end without injury, shots fired or police involvement, they may never enter an official database. As a result, researchers often depend on survey responses to estimate how often defensive gun use occurs.
Why Defensive Gun Use Is Difficult to Measure
Unlike crimes reported to police, many defensive gun uses never enter an official database. In many cases, no shots are fired, no one is injured, and no police report is filed.
Imagine a homeowner displaying a firearm and causing an intruder to flee before entering the home. Or a concealed carrier whose firearm causes a would-be attacker to abandon a robbery. Those incidents may never appear in crime statistics, making defensive gun use inherently difficult to track.
Researchers then rely heavily on surveys rather than official records. Unfortunately, surveys introduce their own challenges.
Reporting Issues
People may fail to report defensive gun uses for many reasons:
- They may not believe the incident was significant enough to report.
- They may worry about legal consequences or government scrutiny.
- They may simply forget an event that occurred months or years earlier.
- Others may unintentionally exaggerate or misremember details of an incident.
Researchers disagree about which of these reporting errors has the greatest effect, and there is little evidence proving exactly how much each influences the final estimates.
Surveys and Methodology
Most defensive gun use estimates come from survey research, but surveys differ in important ways:
- Some ask respondents directly whether they used a firearm defensively.
- Others ask broader questions about victimization before asking about self-defense.
- Recall periods vary from six months to several years.
- Some interviews are conducted by telephone, while others are conducted in person.
- Survey populations also differ.
These methodological differences can produce dramatically different results even when researchers are attempting to measure the same phenomenon.
What Major Studies Have Found
| Study | Estimated Annual DGU | Primary Method | Key Limitation |
| NCVS | 60,000-120,000 | Crime victim survey | May miss incidents that aren’t reported as crimes |
| National Self-Defense Survey | ~2.5 million | Direct survey | Rare events may be overreported |
| CDC/NRC Review | No single estimate | Literature review | Found wide variation due to methodology |
The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS)
The National Crime Victimization Survey, conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics, is one of the nation’s largest ongoing crime surveys.
Because it focuses primarily on victims of crime rather than specifically on defensive firearm use, the NCVS has generally produced relatively low estimates. Typically, around 60,000 to 120,000 defensive gun uses annually. One frequently cited analysis (McDowall et al., 1998) estimated approximately 116,000 incidents per year.
Academic Survey Research
Other nationally representative surveys have reported substantially higher estimates.
Perhaps the best-known is the National Self-Defense Survey conducted by criminologist Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz, which estimated approximately 2.5 million defensive gun uses annually. Other surveys have also produced estimates in the hundreds of thousands or millions.
These higher estimates remain controversial, however. Critics argue they may overestimate defensive gun use because rare events can be exaggerated in survey responses, while supporters argue government surveys may underestimate defensive gun use because they fail to ask direct questions or miss self-defense incidents that never become criminal victimizations.
CDC References
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has not published its own definitive estimate of annual defensive gun use.
However, a CDC-commissioned review conducted by the National Research Council summarized the existing literature and noted that published estimates range from roughly 60,000-120,000 annually using the NCVS to 2.5 million or more in other national surveys. The review emphasized that differences in definitions, survey design and reporting make it impossible to determine which estimate is most accurate.
Why Estimates Vary So Widely
Different Definitions
One major disagreement is what qualifies as a use-of-force or defensive gun use.
- Does merely displaying a firearm count?
- Must a crime already be underway?
- Does preventing a crime before it begins qualify?
Different researchers answer these questions differently, producing different totals.
Reporting Challenges
Many defensive gun uses end without police involvement. If no crime report exists, researchers must depend on participants accurately remembering and reporting events
Researchers also disagree about whether respondents are more likely to underreport defensive gun use because of privacy concerns or overreport because of faulty memory or misclassification of events. Current research has not resolved that debate.
Survey Methodology
Small changes in survey design can significantly influence results.
Researchers have identified differences such as:
- Direct versus indirect questioning
- Interview method
- Recall period
- Sample selection
- How defensive gun use is defined
Because these methodological choices vary, estimates can differ by an order of magnitude even when measuring the same general concept.
What We Can Say with Confidence
Despite ongoing disagreements about frequency, several conclusions are well supported.
First, defensive gun use does occur. Researchers across the spectrum acknowledge that civilians sometimes use firearms to protect themselves or others from criminal threats.
Second, the frequency remains debated. Credible estimates span from tens of thousands to several million incidents annually, reflecting genuine methodological disagreements rather than simple arithmetic errors.
Finally, the available data have important limitations. Because many incidents go unreported and surveys rely on self-reported information, no current study can establish a precise national count with confidence.
Conclusion: Responsible Carry Matters More Than Raw Numbers
Defensive gun use statistics provide valuable insight into an important public policy question, but they should also be viewed with appropriate caution. The wide range of estimates reflects the inherent difficulty of measuring events that often leave no official record.
Whether defensive gun use occurs 100,000 times a year or several million times, one point remains clear: carrying a firearm carries serious responsibility.
Responsible firearm owners should focus less on winning statistical debates and more on what truly matters: knowing the law, seeking quality training, practicing regularly, exercising sound judgment and understanding that using a firearm in self-defense is a decision with profound legal, moral and personal consequences.
Statistics can help inform the conversation. Responsibility determines how those statistics play out in real life.
Sources:
National Research Council. Priorities for Research to Reduce the Threat of Firearm-Related Violence. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2013. https://nap.nationalacademies.org/catalog/18319/priorities-for-research-to-reduce-the-threat-of-firearm-related-violence.
Gary Kleck and Marc Gertz. “Carrying Guns for Protection: Results from the National Self-Defense Survey.” Journal of Interpersonal Violence 13, no. 3 (1998): 287–304. https://doi.org/10.1177/088626098013003001.
FAQs
How often are guns used in self-defense?
Researchers do not know with certainty. Published estimates range from roughly 60,000 to 120,000 defensive gun uses per year in some government survey analyses to approximately 2.5 million or more in other nationally representative surveys. The wide range reflects differences in survey design, definitions, recall periods and reporting.
Why do defensive gun use estimates vary so much?
The estimates vary because researchers use different methods. Some surveys ask directly about firearm use, while others begin with questions about criminal victimization. Surveys may also use different recall periods, interview methods, sample populations and definitions of defensive gun use.
Does a defensive gun use require firing the gun?
No. A defensive gun use may involve displaying or drawing a firearm without firing it. If the presence of the firearm causes a would-be attacker to stop or flee, some researchers would count that as a defensive gun use.
Why are many defensive gun uses not reported?
Some incidents end without injury, shots fired or a police report. People may also decide the event was not serious enough to report, worry about legal consequences or government scrutiny, or simply forget details over time.
Are defensive gun use statistics reliable?
They provide useful information, but all current estimates have limitations. Official records miss incidents that are never reported, while surveys depend on respondents accurately remembering and describing what happened. No current study can establish a precise national total with confidence. Researchers generally agree that defensive gun use does occur. They also agree that its exact frequency remains uncertain and that the available data are limited by underreporting, possible overreporting and differences in survey methodology.
Why do defensive gun use statistics matter?
These statistics help inform discussions about firearms, crime and public policy. But because the estimates vary so widely, they should be interpreted cautiously rather than treated as a single, definitive measure of responsible firearm ownership or self-defense.
