7.14% of American adults now have Concealed Carry permits
And nationally, the number of permits is growing in addition to the fact that some state’s now have “constitutional carry” where no permit is required in that state—and therefor no need to issue permits for residents.
John Lott, PhD, Director of the Crime Prevention Research Center produced the 61-page report, Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States: 2018, that outlines the current trend.
Abstract
Despite the expectations of many after the 2016 elections, the number of concealed handgun permits has increased for the second year in a row. In 2018, the number of concealed handgun permits soared to now over 17.25 million – a 273% increase since 2007. 7.14% of American adults have permits. Unlike surveys that may be affected by people’s unwillingness to answer some personal questions, concealed handgun permit data is the only really “hard data” that we have on gun ownership across the United States. Still, an even larger number of people carry because in 14 states people don’t need a permit to carry in all or virtually all those states. Permits for women and blacks are increasing much faster than they are for men and whites. There are also significant differences in not only the number of permits issued but also who gets them when politicians have discretion in granting them. We also provide evidence on how incredibly law-abiding permit holders are.
It’s always good to see a trend that favors the law-abiding citizen, but we’re still waiting for Congress to remedy the dilemma of innocently becoming a “statutory criminal” when traveling interstate.
/fl