The FBI continues to undercount how often armed citizens stop crimes.

Dr. John Lott Jr. at Real Clear Investigations exposed this major problem. Armed citizens prevent hundreds of thousands of crimes every year. Some estimates put the number as high as 2.5 million cases annually.

In many cases, citizens don’t even fire their weapons. Sometimes just showing or mentioning a sidearm stops attackers.

Three years ago, Real Clear Investigations first reported the FBI’s undercount. The FBI was undercounting armed civilians stopping active shooters by a factor of three.

The FBI acknowledged the issue back then. But the agency never corrected the error. The problem involves a politically sensitive topic.

The situation has only gotten worse since 2022.

Dr. Lott runs the Crime Prevention Research Center. His organization documented the massive gap between FBI numbers and reality.

The FBI acknowledged just three incidents of armed good Samaritans stopping active shooters from 2022 to 2024. The agency reported none in the last two years.

The Crime Prevention Research Center found 78 such cases over that same period. That’s a 26-fold difference between FBI numbers and actual cases.

Over half of American states now have constitutional carry laws. Any adult who can legally possess a sidearm can carry it concealed. With these liberalized concealed carry laws, the number of prevented crimes will likely increase.

Dr. Lott uncovered another serious problem with FBI data. Many jurisdictions are resisting the FBI’s calls for crime data. This includes areas with remarkably high crime rates.

Chicago refuses to provide accurate crime data to the FBI. So does Maricopa County in Arizona. New Orleans also resists sharing their numbers.

The Justice Department is investigating Washington D.C. police right now. They may have falsified crime rates to create a false illusion of safety. This raises more concerns about trusting local crime statistics.

The FBI has the ability to set the record straight. The agency could provide a clearer view of crime solutions. But the FBI shows unwillingness to correct its errors.

Last year, Real Clear Investigations reported the FBI tried fixing problems secretly. The agency’s methodology needs serious improvement. Its shortcomings regarding armed citizens illuminate many problems with crime data.

FBI Director Patel should have his people looking into this issue immediately.

Crime is a serious issue for America. Dealing with crime is one of the few legitimate roles of government. Government must protect the liberty and property of the people.

That requires careful analysis of data when making policy decisions. Knowing how concealed carry laws affect crime rates is vastly important. Understanding prevention of violent crimes and mass shootings matters.

So why isn’t the FBI correcting its data systems? Why are some jurisdictions resisting the reporting of crime statistics?

The answer appears obvious. The data shows guns prevent crimes when in the hands of law-abiding citizens. Dr. Lott has pointed this out many times.

That conclusion doesn’t fit the agenda of the left. Leftists run many of the jurisdictions refusing to report accurate numbers. The entrenched pre-Patel FBI also resisted this truth.

Many old FBI members are still in place from before Director Patel arrived.

Director Patel can fix the FBI’s internal problems. He has the authority to demand accurate reporting. He can clean out agents who refuse to follow proper procedures.

The cities refusing to report crime statistics present a different challenge. That issue falls to the voters of those cities. They must hold their local leaders accountable.

Accurate crime data is essential for good policy. Americans deserve to know the truth about armed citizens stopping crimes. They deserve to know how concealed carry laws affect safety.

The FBI’s continued undercounting of these incidents is unacceptable. It represents a betrayal of the American people. The agency exists to serve the public with accurate information.

Now over half of states allow constitutional carry. More Americans are legally carrying firearms than ever before. The number of prevented crimes continues to grow.

But the FBI pretends these incidents barely happen. The agency ignores mountains of evidence from independent researchers. It refuses to correct obvious errors in its reporting.

This isn’t just bad record keeping. This is deliberate manipulation of crime statistics. The FBI wants to hide the truth about armed citizens.

Director Patel must act quickly to restore integrity to FBI crime reporting.