Lifetime and Past-Year Defensive Gun Use.

Abstract

Importance: Defensive gun use (DGU) is cited as a rationale for permissive firearm-carrying policies; however, no consensus exists on how frequently DGU occurs.

Objective: To examine the frequency of DGU relative to gun violence exposure (GVE) in a sample of firearm owners drawn from a nationally representative sample of US adults.

Design, setting, and participants: This survey study used data from a cross-sectional, self-reported survey administered via KnowledgePanel, a probability-based panel, between May 15 and May 28, 2024. Eligible participants were adults residing within the US reporting current firearm access who responded to DGU survey items. Data were analyzed from July to September 2024.

Main outcomes and measures: Primary outcomes were 4 forms of DGU: telling a perceived threat about a firearm, showing a firearm to a perceived threat, firing in the vicinity of but not at a perceived threat, and firing at a perceived threat.

Results: Among 12 822 adults invited to participate, 8647 (67.4%) read the informed consent, 8009 (92.6%) consented to participate, and 3000 (37.7%; 532 [51.1%] male; 982 [32.7%] aged ≥60 years) endorsed firearm access and responded to DGU items, including 295 Black, non-Hispanic participants (9.8%); 365 Hispanic participants (12.2%); and 2178 White, non-Hispanic participants (72.6%). DGU was rare, with 91.7% (95% CI, 90.6%-92.7%) of participants reporting no lifetime history of DGU. The most reported form of DGU was showing a firearm to a perceived threat (lifetime: 4.7%; 95% CI, 4.0%-5.5%). Less than 1% of the sample reported any form of past-year DGU. GVE was more pervasive for lifetime (eg, loss of a friend or loved one to firearm suicide: 34.4%; 95% CI, 32.7%-36.1%; hearing gunshots in neighborhood: 51.8%; 95% CI, 50.0%-53.6%) and past-year exposure (eg, loss of a friend or loved one to firearm suicide: 3.2%; 95% CI, 2.6%-3.9%; hearing gunshots in neighborhood: 32.7%; 95% CI, 31.0%-34.4%).

Conclusions and relevance: In this survey of adults with firearm access, DGU was rare relative to GVE. Perceived threats may not necessitate DGU, and given the association between DGU and GVE, the consequences of DGU may be substantial. Narratives centering DGU as a consideration in firearm policies may misstate the risk profile of firearm access.