John Lott dissects CDC's defensive gun-use data correction on air
October 19, 2026
Dr. John Lott appeared on Vicki McKenna's statewide Wisconsin radio show to talk about a correction the CDC made to its published data on defensive gun uses, a topic that matters to anyone who follows the numbers behind self-defense and gun-policy arguments.
Key points
- The interview: Lott joined Vicki McKenna's program specifically to discuss the CDC walking back figures tied to defensive gun uses, according to the Crime Prevention Research Center.
- Why it matters: Defensive gun-use estimates are a frequent flashpoint in debates over firearm policy, and corrections to federal data can shift how those numbers get cited by both sides.
- Lott's role: As head of the Crime Prevention Research Center, Lott has long tracked and challenged how agencies and researchers report gun-use statistics.
- Limited detail: The original post is short on specifics about what exactly the CDC changed, so the full context lives in the radio segment itself.
Quick take
This is a case where the headline is more useful than the write-up: a CDC correction on defensive gun-use data is worth knowing about if you follow the statistical fights that shape gun policy, but the source post itself doesn't spell out the specifics of what was wrong or what changed. If you want the details, you'll need to listen to the actual McKenna interview rather than rely on secondhand summaries.
Read the full story: crimeresearch.org