Despite widespread belief, Americans rarely use guns to defend themselves

New research shows that this is extremely rare.

A comprehensive study published on March 14 at the JAMA Network Open showed that less than 1% of gun owners used their weapons defensively over the past year, and exposure to gun violence has been largely more common.

A nationally representative survey of 3,000 Americans using guns found that an overwhelming 92% never used their weapons throughout their lives.

“Adults with guns may be exposed to gun violence than to defend themselves with guns,” said Michael Anestis, executive director of Rutgers’ New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center and lead author of the study. “It’s not that the use of defensive guns will never happen, but the idea that gun owners usually save their lives or the lives of their loved ones by using guns in self-defense is not supported by the data.”

The discovery challenges one of the most enduring arguments used to support the U.S. policy of allowing guns to be carried, where many owners view self-defense as the main reason for possession of guns.

The contrast between defensive use and exposure to gun violence is particularly evident. In the last year, nearly one-third (32.7%) of respondents reported hearing gunfire near them, while only 0.7% told or indicated threats that they had guns, and only 0.2% fired with a perceived threat.

Over one-third (34.4%) of gun owners in their lives reported knowing that someone died from gun suicide, while only 1.2% had fired at perceived threats.

The research team collected data from 8,009 adults in May 2024 and found that those who had previously suffered gun violence were more likely to report defensive gun use, creating a disturbing cycle of violence.

Perhaps most striking is that almost 60% of all the respondents who have been shot before have been shot in all those who have reported the shooting.

“If an individual itself experiences gun violence, or is more frequently able to use a gun quickly and at any time, they may be more likely to perceive the threat and respond by using the gun,” Anestis explained.

The study identified several factors related to the higher likelihood of defensive gun use, including previous exposure to gun violence, frequent carry of guns, and storage of loaded and unlocked weapons.

The probability of reporting gun owners of all forms of defensive gun users is 30 to 50% higher, while the probability of people storing at least one gun and unlocked gun is 58% higher, the probability of 58% higher, the probability of showing their guns to perceived threats is 170% higher, and the probability of reporting them in case of a threat that is maintained is 170%.

Researchers cautiously note that perceptions of threats do not necessarily reflect reality. “It is important to note that just because someone thinks someone is a threat doesn’t mean they are a threat, and if someone is a real threat, it doesn’t always mean that the gun is necessary for defense,” Anistis said. “When defensive guns occur, we don’t necessarily conclude that the result is a life saved or it will be lost.”

The population patterns in the study reveal interesting differences. Black gun owners reported significantly higher exposure rates of gun violence than other groups. Nearly 69% reported gunfire nearby in their lifetime (46.4% heard gunfire in the past year), while 47.6% reported knowing people who were shot (9.5% in the past year).

By pushing their findings to the wider U.S. population, researchers estimate that about 98 million U.S. adults can use home guns. According to their findings, this would equate to about 196,000 instances per year, where someone was fired as a threat to self-defense – a figure higher than previous estimates but well below the millions of dollars that gun rights advocates sometimes claim.

The study’s authors argue that these findings should prompt people to rethink how guns are discussed in policy debates.

“When we consider policy, we need to weigh more severely on the hazards that occur frequently than the instances of defense that occur rarely.”

The study highlights the perception of defensive gun use as a common occurrence with the reality that such events are rare compared to the negative experiences of guns. This difference may have significant implications for how Americans view gun ownership and their management policies.

Although the study acknowledges that defensive gun use does occur, it suggests that its rarity relative to gun violence exposure should lead to a more balanced approach to gun policy—a trade-off that weighs the realistic frequency of defensive use with the more common experiences of gun violence faced by many Americans.