Levels and Changes in Defensive Firearm Use by US Crime Victims, 1987‒2021

Area of Science:

• Criminology
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Understanding the frequency of defensive gun use (DGU) is crucial for evaluating firearm policies.
• Previous research has yielded varied estimates of DGU, necessitating updated analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze trends in the frequency of defensive gun use by crime victims in the United States.
• To compare DGU rates across different crime types (personal vs. household).

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the US Bureau of Justice Statistics National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS).
• Calculated national-level counts of firearm defenses from 1987-1990, 1993-2005, 2007-2015, and 2016-2021.
• Defined firearm defense as victims using a gun to threaten or attack an offender.

Main Results:

• Average annual DGU ranged between 61,000 and 65,000 incidents across all crime types.
• Personal (violent) incidents accounted for 38,000-53,000 annually, while household (property) incidents were 12,000-23,000 annually.
• DGU remained relatively low and constant over the 35-year study period.

Conclusions:

• Defensive gun use by US crime victims is infrequent and has not significantly changed over time.
• The study's findings challenge the notion that widespread firearm ownership provides substantial protective benefits.
• The relative rarity of DGU suggests a need for critical evaluation of public health claims regarding firearm prevalence.