Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Wall Street Journal reporter Mark Maremont is once again targeting Americans who lawfully carry concealed handguns. His latest article, “The Innocent Bystanders Caught in Deadly Crossfire of Self-Defense Shootings,” claims that legally armed civilians are putting innocent people at risk during self-defense encounters.
According to research compiled by John R. Lott Jr., president of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC), the evidence does not support that conclusion.
Maremont cites four incidents from 2022 to the present in which he claims concealed carry permit holders accidentally shot bystanders while defending themselves. However, Lott’s review of those cases shows that only two actually involved concealed carry permit holders, one in Massachusetts and one in Michigan.
The remaining cases do not fit the narrative. The Ohio incident involved an employee carrying a firearm at work. Not a concealed carry permit holder. The California case does not appear to involve a permit holder at all. Despite this, Maremont’s article repeatedly references concealed carry and discusses constitutional carry, even though none of the four cases occurred under constitutional carry laws.
Equally absent from the Wall Street Journal piece is basic context. Each year, an estimated 1.67 million Americans use firearms defensively. And roughly 21 million Americans hold concealed handgun permits, according to CPRC research. Against those numbers, four questionable examples over several years do not suggest a systemic problem.
SEE ALSO: Feds Drop $1M on 2A Civics
To better quantify the risk, Lott used ChatGPT and Grok to help identify cases over the past decade where concealed carry permit holders accidentally shot innocent bystanders. From 2016 through nearly all of 2025, only four such cases were identified, resulting in two deaths and two injuries. One additional case involved a security guard, which Lott notes arguably should not be counted as civilian concealed carry.
Even including that case, the total over nearly a decade amounts to five bystanders shot, with two killed and three wounded.
By comparison, CPRC’s review of police-involved shootings over the same period identified 20 incidents in which officers accidentally shot 28 bystanders, killing seven and wounding 21. In one case, a single officer wounded six bystanders.
The contrast becomes even sharper in active shooter incidents. Using the FBI’s definition, CPRC data shows that from 2014 to 2024, armed civilians stopped 199 of 562 active shooter attacks, compared to 167 stopped by police. Civilians accidentally shot bystanders in just one case, a 0.5 percent rate, while police did so at a rate over five times higher.
These findings were summarized in an amicus brief authored by John Lott for Wolford et al. v. Hawaii and submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court in November 2025.
The data tells a consistent story: lawful concealed carriers are overwhelmingly responsible, and the risks they pose to bystanders are extraordinarily rare. Especially when compared to police responses in similar high-risk situations.
*** Buy and Sell on GunsAmerica! ***
Available on GunsAmerica Now
is a seasoned outdoorsman, lifelong hunter, and the kind of guy who’d rather track whitetails than scroll social media. As an editor for GunsAmerica, he’s got a sharp eye for spotting both solid gear and bad gun laws. Whether he’s deep in the woods or deep in editorial deadlines, Larry brings a no-nonsense, tell-it-like-it-is approach to firearms, hunting, and the great American tradition of self-reliance. If there’s a hot debate on gun rights or the latest in hunting tech, you can bet Larry’s got an opinion—and it’s probably backed up with both facts and field experience.
Experience:
– Licensed Bowhunter, Hunter, and Trapper – Experienced in ethical hunting and wildlife conservation.
– Concealed Carry Permit Holder (NYS & AZ) – Trained and licensed to carry in multiple states.
– 2A Journalist – Covering firearms legislation, Second Amendment issues, and gun rights for over a decade.
– Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) – Certified to provide emergency medical care in the field.
– Field-Tested Gear Reviewer – Hands-on experience with firearms, optics, and hunting tech.