Levels and Changes in Defensive Firearm Use by US Crime Victims, 1987‒2021.

To examine levels and temporal changes in the frequency of defensive gun use by US crime victims. We computed national-level counts of criminal incidents involving firearm defense during 3 periods: 1993 to 2005, 2007 to 2015, and 2016 to 2021. We also considered earlier national estimates for 1987 to 1990.

Underreporting of justifiable homicides committed by police officers in the United States, 1976-1998.

Objectives: This study assessed the consistency of estimates of the number of justifiable homicides committed by US police officers and identified sources of underreporting.

Methods: The number of justifiable homicides committed by police officers between 1976 and 1998 was estimated from supplementary homicide report (SHR) and National Vital Statistics System (NVSS) mortality data.

Results: Nationally, the SHR estimate was 29% larger than the NVSS estimate.