Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) has accused federal agencies and legacy media of working together to downplay the role of guns in preventing crime. Citing research from Dr. John R. Lott Jr., Massie claims that the FBI and CDC have suppressed data showing how often law-abiding citizens use guns to defend themselves and stop mass shootings.
Dr. Lott’s article highlights how the CDC removed its estimates of defensive gun use after a 2013 report showed between 64,000 and 3 million defensive uses per year. Lott alleges that this decision was made under pressure from a gun control group, which was concerned that the data was being used to fight gun control legislation.
The article also questions how the FBI compiles data on active shooter incidents. Lott argues that the FBI’s definitions are too broad and rely on flawed sources, leading to underreporting of how often armed civilians stop shooters. According to the FBI, only 14 of 350 active shooter incidents from 2014 to 2023 were stopped by armed citizens. Lott’s research, however, found that 180 of 515 active shooter cases were stopped by civilians, excluding instances where the shooter was stopped before firing.
As election season approaches, Massie warns that gun control advocates will continue to push for more restrictions on firearms, but he emphasizes that the Second Amendment is designed to protect citizens’ rights to self-defense.
