• Studies and surveys from 1987 to 2025 suggest instances of defensive gun use range from 65,000 to 2.5 million each year.
• The most conservative defensive gun use estimate from the NCVS is 65,000 per year.
• According to recent surveys, 56% of gun owners state they carry firearms for self-defense.

Methodology

"Defensive gun use" (DGU) has no single definition. Some researchers define DGU according to the shooter's assessment of the situation. Others only apply it to shootings performed during the commission of violent crime.

This report covers a variety of sources and methodologies. DGUs were combined into two categories based on methodology.

Sources were categorized by definitions and defensive use factors as follows:

• Broad DGU – Surveys based on self-reports of brandishing a firearm, verbally warning an attacker, stopping a confrontation, or defensive display with no shots fired. These incidents may not be reported to the police, as there are no accompanying injuries or property damage.

• Narrow Crime-Based DGU – Officially reported incidents, in which a defender threatened an offender with the use of a firearm during a documented crime (e.g. robbery, assault, burglary with confrontation).

Federal databases, such as the FBI Crime Data Explorer and CDC WONDER, were referenced to analyze crime and firearm-related deaths. The National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS) was referenced to analyze defensive use cases based on reported crimes.

Per capita rates are calculated using U.S. population estimates ranging from 319 to 339 million.

How Often Are Guns Used in Self-Defense?

DGU estimates vary depending on source and methodology. Studies and surveys between 1990 and 2023 consistently suggest there are between 60,000 and 2.5 million DGUs annually (18-750 uses per 100,000 people).7

A survey-based study published in JAMA Network Open in March, 2025 estimated 489,000 annual DGUs in which a firearm was discharged. These incidents included a defender firing at and/or in the vicinity of a perceived threat.1

Self-reported survey data suggest that an average of 750 people per 100,000 deter or stop a criminal with a firearm annually.

Crime-based reporting studies suggest that between 18 to 30 people per 100,000 stop a threat and report it to the police annually. These data do not include all DGUs because they are based on reported crimes, and a DGU indicates that a crime was thwarted.