Citizens manage to prevent an estimated 2.5 million crimes a year. That is 6,849 every day! And in most cases, the gun is never fired, and no blood is shed. Every year, firearms help prevent 400,000 life-threatening crimes. Convicted felons claim that they avoid committing crimes when they think that the victim might be armed. Similarly, they are less likely to enter a house where people are at home from fear of being shot.