On October 2^nd, the Crime Prevention Research Center published the annual report, “New Concealed Carry Report for 2019,” by economist John Lott, on the current statistics of concealed carry permit holders in the United States. Research has found there’s been a 304% increase in concealed carry permit holders since 2007 and an 8% growth since 2018. ^[1]

Let’s dive into the statistics, shall we?

The Increasing Population of Concealed Carriers

About 19 million Americans have concealed carry permits to legally carry a concealed firearm to protect themselves and others. However, not included in the statistic is the rising number of states where the carriers aren’t required to have a permit to legally carry a firearm.

Even though 7.3% of American adults are concealed carry permit holders, this percentage does not represent a homogenous demographic as some states provide permit holder information based on gender and race. In twelve of those states, women made up 26.5% of permit holders, and the number of female permit holders increased by 101% from 2012 in eight of those states. The increase in concealed carry permit holders of the female demographic outpaced the male – and so did the African American demographic compared to the Caucasian.

Ethnic Demographics & Voidance

Lott reported a recent increase in African American permit holders has more than doubled the number of Caucasian permit holders in Texas. For states that released data based on both gender and race, African American women permit holders were the fastest growing demographic. Furthermore, Lott’s report stated that the increase of concealed carry permit holders among the American Indian, Asian, Black, and white female demographics outpaced quicker than the rates of males in those ethnic groups.

According to the report, permit holders continue to be law-abiding citizens as an increasingly diverse collective. Supported by this claim is the low permit voidance rates with the highest listed as 0.72% in Connecticut and 0.5% in Maryland. ^[2] In short, these statistics make up just over 1% of permit holders involving those relocating to another state, and for states where voidance rates are “higher than hundredths of a percentage point are due to residency revocations.” ^[2]

These recent findings from the Crime Prevention Research Center should give you some confidence as an airguns carrier that many people support concealed carry laws, despite the current political climate. For more research findings or more information on our extensive inventory of fx airguns, contact our team our Palm Beach Airguns at 561-331-6731.

Sources:

[1] Crime Prevention Research Center – New Concealed Carry Report for 2019: 18.66 Million Permit Holders Despite 16 Constitutional Carry States, Over 1.4 Million More Than Last Year

[2] NRA–ILA – Number of Concealed Carry Permit Holders Increased Again