By Chris McNutt

The gun control lobby is once again pushing highly suspect and exaggerated statistics, this time claiming that 1 in 15 U.S. adults—roughly 17.5 million people—have survived a mass shooting.

The statistic, which comes from a survey-based study published in JAMA Network Open, has been widely promoted by Giffords Law Center and other anti-gun groups as justification for more federal gun control.

But there’s just one problem: the numbers don’t add up.

The Math Doesn’t Work

To reach 17.5 million “mass shooting survivors,” the U.S. would have had to experience a staggering number of mass shootings over the last few decades, far exceeding even the most inflated estimates from anti-gun groups.

According to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA)—a source frequently used by left-wing media—there have been roughly 4,500 incidents classified as mass shootings since 2014.

But even under their misleading and expanded definition, the total number of potential survivors wouldn’t come close to 17.5 million.

For reference, the FBI’s definition of a mass shooting requires four or more people killed in a public space, which would make the actual number of incidents—and survivors—even lower.

Survey-Based Data Is Highly Unreliable

The claim that 1 in 15 adults has survived a mass shooting doesn’t come from actual crime reports, police data, or verified records.

Instead, it’s based on self-reported survey responses, which are notorious for being highly unreliable, prone to exaggeration, and influenced by bias. Participants may interpret the term “mass shooting” loosely, inflating the numbers.

Anti-gun groups like Giffords use these manipulated statistics to further their agenda, creating mass hysteria around gun violence to push for sweeping firearm restrictions.

Redefining ‘Mass Shooting’ to Fit a Narrative

Gun control groups routinely redefine mass shootings to inflate numbers and create a false sense of crisis:

• They count incidents that are gang-related, drug-related, domestic disputes, and even cases where no one was killed.
• They lump together defensive gun use incidents where armed citizens stopped an attacker.
• They omit data showing that legally armed citizens stop mass shootings far more often than reported.

In contrast, Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), led by Dr. John Lott, has shown that:

• Mass shootings are not increasing at the rates claimed by anti-gun activists.
• The U.S. does not lead the world in mass shootings, contrary to media hysteria.
• Mass shootings account for less than 1% of all firearm-related deaths annually.

The Real Goal: More Gun Control

The push to claim 1 in 15 Americans have survived a mass shooting is nothing more than a fabricated crisis to justify more gun control.

With their past efforts failing at the federal level, anti-gun groups like Giffords are resorting to statistical manipulation and fear-mongering to convince lawmakers to crack down on law-abiding gun owners.

Gun owners and Second Amendment advocates must remain vigilant and call out these misleading narratives whenever they appear.

The fight for gun rights is not just about protecting firearms—it’s about protecting the truth from those who seek to distort it for political gain.