The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has once again published a disputed range of defensive gun use estimates on its website, reigniting a debate among researchers and gun policy advocates. The figures, which suggest Americans use firearms in self-defense between 60,000 and 2.5 million times annually, were removed in 2022 after criticism from experts but have now been reinstated.
What the CDC’s Website Now Says
As of a February 2026 update, the CDC’s firearm injury prevention page includes the contested range. Archived versions indicate the numbers were republished in July 2025, following a period when the agency had removed them. The current language mirrors earlier phrasing that researchers had previously challenged.
The Lower Estimate: 60,000 Uses Per Year
The lower figure comes from the National Crime Victimization Survey (NCVS), a federal survey of crime victims conducted twice yearly. The most recent NCVS data on defensive gun use, published in 2022, found an average of 70,040 instances per year across violent and property crimes. However, this count excludes simple assault and only captures cases where respondents reported specific crimes, meaning it likely undercounts the true number.
The Higher Estimate: 2.5 Million Uses Per Year
The upper figure originates from a 1993 telephone survey by criminologist Gary Kleck of Florida State University. Kleck asked 5,000 adults about defensive gun use over the prior five years and extrapolated the results to the entire adult population. Critics note that his methodology overestimates because it applies survey responses to all adults, including the roughly 58% who did not own guns at the time.
Why Researchers Object
Gun violence researchers have long disputed the higher estimate, arguing it is based on flawed assumptions and lacks corroboration. Mark Bryant, who leads the Gun Violence Archive (GVA), called the CDC’s decision to restore the numbers a “shame,” describing them as “gross estimates based on limited surveys.” Devin Hughes, who runs the nonprofit GVPedia, said the move was “disappointing but unsurprising,” adding that it reflects “politically motivated laundering of disinformation.”
GVA’s own data, which tracks defensive gun use incidents reported in the news or to police, recorded 6,534 cases from 2021 to 2025—an average of about 1,300 per year. While this is likely a significant undercount, it underscores the wide gap between different measurement methods.
Political Context and Policy Implications
The reinstatement aligns with the Trump administration’s broader gun policy agenda, which has included rolling back firearm restrictions, cutting gun violence research funding, and weakening oversight of gun dealers. The administration also allowed long-standing regulations on silencers and short-barreled long guns to lapse. Gun rights advocates often cite the 2.5 million figure to argue that armed civilians play a critical role in public safety, pointing to cases like the Idaho In-N-Out shooting where an armed bystander engaged a shooter.
The Challenge of Measuring Defensive Gun Use
Defensive gun use is difficult to quantify because law enforcement agencies do not track it as a separate category. The FBI records justifiable homicides, but states are not required to report them, and the data omits instances where a gun is brandished but not fired. Surveys also vary widely in how they define defensive gun use, leading to estimates that range from tens of thousands to millions per year.
Given these discrepancies, researchers emphasize the need for more rigorous study. As the CDC’s previous language noted, “additional research is necessary to understand defensive gun use prevalence, frequency, circumstances, and outcomes.” The current restoration of contested figures, however, suggests that political considerations may be overriding scientific caution.