A recent survey from William English at Georgetown University shows that over one-third of gun owners in the United States have used their weapon in self-defense. That amounts to roughly 33.1 million Americans.
This is being pointed to as more evidence of how important the Second Amendment is when it comes to self-defense. Retired HPD Captain Dr. Greg Fremin says that, “The only true definitive way of defending yourself is to have a firearm. But not just to have a firearm, but to know how to use it, and use good tactical situational awareness.”
A Breitbart report on the survey also pointed out that in the majority of those cases (76.3%), the firearm itself didn’t even need to be fired. Merely brandishing it was enough to ward off an attacker. Dr. Fremin, who now teaches criminal justice at the University of Houston-Downtown, says that speaks to the mindset of criminal predators. “When they confront a citizen that is a handgun carrier, most of them aren’t looking for that fight. They want easy prey; they’re looking for easy victimization.”
Dr. Fremin also emphasized the fact that you never know when you might be attacked, and you need to always be ready to defend yourself, which is why he encourages more Americans to become responsible gun owners. “For me, it’s peace of mind. I wish more citizens would do that, but I think we see that happening right now.”