New study tries to claim guns are rarely used for self-defense

A new study by the Violence Policy Center reported that gun owners are more likely to use their firearms to commit homicide rather than defending themselves.

The left-leaning organization stated Wednesday that guns are used to to carry out a murder without cause 32 times more often than in self-defense.

The study used 2012 numbers, the most recent year available, and claimed that there were 259 justifiable homicides compared to 8,342 criminal homicides.

“We hope legislators in every state will stop believing the self-defense myth and look at the facts. Guns do not make our families or communities safer,” Julia Wyman, States United to Prevent Gun Violence’s executive director, told The Hill.

The study has drawn criticism from conservatives and gun rights activists.

“This ‘so-called’ study, which was paid for and promoted by gun control advocates is rubbish. VPC fails to note that only a fraction of defensive firearm homicides are reported to the FBI, and the study doesn’t account for the many crimes deterred by a firearm that do not result in a homicide. Recent polling shows that most Americans believe exercising their constitutional right to self-protection makes them safer, and this is just another transparent attempt to push gun control,” said NRA spokeswoman Jennifer Baker in a statement.

Carole Bowne would have liked to take her chances with a firearm. She applied for a gun permit in New Jersey where the process takes about two months or longer.

While she was going through the process, the same ex-boyfriend Bowne feared and looked to defend herself against with a handgun, murdered her with a knife.

For others, like an Uber driver who used a concealed handgun to save pedestrians from a gunman’s rampage or comedian Bill Maher, who owns two firearms for protection, it paid to be safe rather than sorry.