You’ve probably heard some variation of the saying “Guns don’t kill people, people do” at one time or another. In fact, there are some notable stats showing guns actually play a role in saving lives. According to the Foundation for Economic Education, guns prevent nearly 3 million crimes a year—a stat echoed in a 2012 study by the CDC. The firearms safety education professionals from Gun Safety Training Pros, your premier choice when you’re ready to take an online gun safety class, discuss the potential for guns to save lives.
Guns Often Save Lives without Being Fired
Gunfacts.info reports guns often save lives without actually having to be fired. This is because the proper use of guns often deters harmful actions by threatening individuals. Gun Facts also estimates firearms prevent nearly 7,000 crimes each day. Additionally, the same research asserts approximately 400,000 potentially life-threatening violent crimes are prevented annually with the use of firearms.
Lives Saved Could Be Thousands or More
Based on the stats mentioned above, it can be said guns save at least thousands of lives each year in the United States. This is a figure that could be even higher, according to studies suggesting more than a million people use guns each year for self-defense purposes—excluding law enforcement officials and military personnel. Ultimately, it’s impossible to predict with certainty what might have happened if gun owners hadn’t been able to prevent other people from harming them. It’s also worth noting nearly 200,000 of the gun owners surveyed who used their firearms for self-defense believed doing so “almost certainly” prevented loss of life.
Felons Report Being Deterred by Firearms
The Foundation for Economic Education reports 60 percent of felons surveyed admitted they didn’t commit crimes if they were aware potential victims were armed. What’s more, 40 percent of the surveyed felons reported being discouraged from committing crimes if they simply suspected potential victims were armed. Also, many of the felons reported being less likely to enter homes when it was obvious people were there because of the potential of being shot. There’s also research suggesting criminals avoid areas where gun ownership levels are known to be higher. The Crime Prevention Research Center expands on this further by citing opinions from economists and criminologists suggesting gun-free zones attract more criminals.
Gun Owners Can Be Better Prepared
The one thing you have no control over when it comes to crime prevention is whether or not someone acting in a threatening manner will have a gun. However, what you can do as a responsible gun owner is to be better prepared by:
• Taking a firearms safety course
• Choosing a gun that’s convenient for you to handle and, if necessary, use
• Regularly practicing to improve your abilities and get more comfortable with handling your gun
One of the most important aspects of being a well-prepared, responsible gun owner is knowing how to store, handle, and shoot your firearm safely. Fortunately, Gun Safety Training Pros offers high-quality firearms training online. If you need to learn how to handle a gun and shoot it safely, we have what you need. For more information, contact one of our knowledgeable team members today at [email protected].
