The CDC now lists 500,000 to 2.5 million yearly defensive gun uses, replacing a 60,000 figure after 2022 removal pressed by activists. It attributes the range to a 2013 National Academies report based on existing research whose results differ by survey design.

Mark Bryant of Gun Violence Archive, with Devin Hughes and Po Murray, met CDC staff in September 2021 seeking to drop an estimate used against gun laws. The report on pages 15-16 calls such uses common at 500,000 to over 3 million and warns the 108,000 NCVS count lacks a direct question. The Crime Prevention Research Center backed the October 5 fix after the Trump administration restored the page.