Number of Concealed Carry Permits doubled since 2007; results show lower crime rates.
On Wednesday July 9, 2014, the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) released a report, Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States, revealing that 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits up from an estimated 4.6 million in 2007.
The last comprehensive report on the number of concealed carry permit holders was completed three years ago by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and showed that 8 million Americans held a concealed carry permit. These numbers show that the number of permits is not only increasing, but they are growing at faster and faster rates.
The report also notes:
- Three states (South Dakota, Indiana, and Alabama) now have over 10 percent of their adult populations with permits, and 10 states have at least 8 percent of their adult populations with permits.
- The number of concealed carry permit holders is likely much higher than 11.1 million.
- Between 2007 and the preliminary estimates for 2013, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.4 per 100,000 – a 22 percent drop in the murder rate at the same time that the percentage of the adult population with permits soared by 130 percent. Overall violent crime also fell by 22 percent over that period of time.
Tail wags to the CPRC. This study proves that, as much as anyone else, Concealed Carry Permit holder's are responsible for keeping our streets safe. The State of Florida leads with 1.28 million permits issued.
/fl