Americans with guns have prevented active shootings by at least ten times the number of incidents that the FBI has recorded. This shows how much more often armed citizens save lives than liberal anti-gun media claims.

A top public safety think-tank said in a review that looked at 10 years’ worth of reports on active shooters, good Samaritans were responsible for stopping 36%-62%, which is far higher than the 3.7% claimed by the FBI and the media.

The Crime Prevention Research Center explained the conflicting numbers were due to the FBI’s restrictive definition of shootings that are active and the misclassifications of many.

The center, for example, said that the FBI does not count instances where armed citizens display their weapons, but do not shoot and yet prevent a mass shooting. It has also classified some volunteer security guards in the same category as professionals.

John R. Lott Jr. said that his report showed that armed citizens are much more life-saving than the FBI or media has told.

The FBI defines an “active shooter” as a person or persons actively involved in the killing or attempted murder of people in public places, without involving gangs or other crimes such as robbery. This could range from a minor incident, such as a person being shot and missing to a public mass shooting. The FBI lists cases in which civilians have stopped active shooters. However, the media often uses the small number of cases to claim that these interventions are rare.

“The evidence compiled by the Crime Prevention Research Center reveals that the media sources relied upon undercounted by more than ten the number of incidents in which armed civilians have stopped such attacks, saving countless lives. It is not uncommon for law-abiding individuals to stop these attacks. Lott’s report shared with Washington Secrets on Monday revealed that national media coverage of these incidents is uncommon.

Lott, in his report that was an update to his analysis of 2022, said there were at minimum 561 active shooters from 2014-2024. FBI cites 374. He said that 202 of the 561 active shooter incidents were stopped by armed citizens. According to the FBI, 14 out of 374 active shooter reports, or 3.7% were stopped by armed citizens.

Lott’s Report found that the FBI missed 42 reports of active shooters and 145 other incidents.

His report was not meant to criticize the agency, but rather to give a more comprehensive picture of how legally armed citizens are more effective in stopping active shooters.

He also challenged media narratives that more armed individuals are dangerous. PoliceOne’s poll showed that 86% disagreed with the media narrative.

The report stated that “news outlets often raise concern that allowing concealed carry could result in innocent bystanders getting shot, or police shooting permit holders accidentally.” It said, for example, that “all the experts interviewed by Washington Post or New York Times argued that stopping these attacks would be best left to police.”

Many in law enforcement are aware that it can take time for the police to reach an active shooter situation, and these minutes can be fatal. Lott’s Report quoted noted arms expert Massad ayoob, who said: “When seconds matter in a life-threatening situation, citizens are the first responders.”