Demand For Concealed Carry Permits Is Skyrocketing

by Molly Prince

The number of concealed carry weapons (CCW) permits is soaring to new levels despite the rabid anti-gun activism following a slew of school shootings over the past year.

Issued CCW permits increased approximately 275 percent over a ten-year period, from 4.6 million permits in 2007 to over 17.25 permits in 2018, according to a study released Friday by the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC). The number has been increasing year over year and is forecast to continue trending upwards.

The most notable demographic increase was found to be among women and minorities. During the aforementioned time period, CCW issuance jumped 111 percent faster for women than for men. Moreover, compared to white individuals, permits for Asian and black individuals spiked 29 percent and 20 percent quicker, respectively.

“That increase in women and minorities mirrors their changing views on guns,” John Lott, the founder of the CPRC, told Fox News. “A poll by [the] Pew [Research Center] helps to explain why there has been such a large increase in concealed handgun permits among blacks and women. The poll shows a 25 percentage point increase in the proportion of blacks with a favorable view of gun ownership. This is the largest increase of any group.”

The study also found that CCW permit holders are “extremely” law-abiding citizens. For example, in Florida and Texas, two states with the largest number of permits issued, permit holders are convicted of misdemeanor and felony crimes and one-sixth of the rate that law enforcement officers are convicted.

“The states that we have seen a slowing of permits have primarily been these ‘constitutional carry’ states where a permit is no longer required,” Lott continued. “Indeed, some of those states have even seen a drop in the number of permits even though the number of people carrying in those places has undoubtedly gone up.”

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