Rep. Thomas Massie (R-KY) is sounding the alarm over what he sees as a coordinated effort by the FBI, CDC and legacy media to suppress data proving that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens help prevent crime. Massie referenced an article by Dr. John R. Lott Jr., which argues that key federal agencies and media outlets are hiding statistics that show the effectiveness of defensive gun use.
Dr. Lott explains that the CDC removed data on defensive gun use after pressure from a gun control group. The data, which estimated between 64,000 and 3 million instances of defensive gun use annually, was seen as damaging to the gun control narrative. According to Lott, this decision was influenced by activists who didn’t want the numbers to be used in arguments against gun control laws.
Lott also questions how the FBI compiles its data on active shooter incidents, accusing the agency of using overly broad definitions and unreliable data sources. The FBI reports only 14 cases of armed citizens stopping active shooters from 2014 to 2023, but Lott’s research suggests the true number is much higher. His center found that 180 out of 515 active shooter cases were stopped by armed citizens, with an additional 27 cases where the shooter was stopped before firing.
Massie stresses that as gun control advocates ramp up their rhetoric, it’s important to remember that the Second Amendment is about protecting the rights of citizens to defend themselves, and he warns against ignoring the real impact of armed self-defense.
