UPDATED: New Research: Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?

May 7, 2025 | Original Research

We updated a new research paper that we hope you agree is very important. Please download and read it here.

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Abstract

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The FBI tracks active shooting cases—where individuals attempt to kill people in public places, excluding those tied to robberies or gang violence. This study is the first to systematically compare how uniformed police and civilians with concealed handgun permits perform in stopping these attacks. Civilians with permits stopped the attacks more frequently and faced a lower risk of being killed or injured than police. Officers who intervened during the attacks were far more likely to be killed or injured than those who apprehended the attackers later. We also provide evidence that these numbers significantly underestimate the advantages of civilians over officers in stopping these attacks. We explore the implications of two possible identification problems. There is some evidence that passage of Constitutional Carry laws reduce the number of active shooting attacks.

John R. Lott, Jr. and Carl E. Moody, “Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police?” Social Science Research Network, April 4, 2025.

johnrlott

4 Comments

  1. Jeff Klopotic

    Thank you. This subject of comparison of civilian to police success in armed encounters is most helpful as a point in the gun control (aka gun reform) debate.

    Keep them coming, please.

    Reply
    • Gary Slatter

      Thank you, John for all the great research you do. I always find it instructional and a very informative.

      Reply
      • johnrlott

        Thank you very much, Gary.

        Reply
    • johnrlott

      Thank you very much, Jeff.

      Reply

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  1. New Research: Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police? MEK Enterprises Blog - Breaking News, SEO, Information, and Making Money Online!The Number 1 Online Blog Worldwide! - […] Click this link for the original source of this article. Author: johnrlott […]
  2. Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police? - Fusion News - […] Source link […]
  3. Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police? - GlobeDaily - […] Source link […]
  4. New Research: Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police? - Law And Order News - […] Source link […]
  5. On The Vicki McKenna Show: To Discuss Biden-era ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy and the Effectiveness of Permit Holders in Stopping Active Shooting Attacks - GlobeDaily - […] Dr. John Lott talked to Vicki McKenna on her statewide radio show in Wisconsin about the US Justice Department…
  6. On Missoula’s KGVO: Discussing a wide range of policy and gun control issues - GlobeDaily - […] on the Talk Back program for an hour and a half to discuss our research on cases where armed civilians stopped active…
  7. मिसौला के KGVO पर: नीति और बंदूक नियंत्रण मुद्दों की एक विस्तृत श्रृंखला पर चर्चा करना - indiabells.com - […] […]
  8. विकी मैककेना शो पर: नवीनतम स्कूल शूटिंग पर चर्चा करने के लिए - indiabells.com - […] […]
  9. On The Vicki McKenna Show: To Discuss the Latest School Shootings - GlobeDaily - […] Dr. John Lott talked to Vicki McKenna on her statewide radio show in Wisconsin about the latest school shootings at…
  10. UPDATED: New Research: Do Armed Civilians Stop Active Shooters More Effectively Than Uniformed Police? - Law And Order News - […] Source link […]

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