Reports suggest that nearly 22 million hold permits to carry a concealed handgun, a dramatic rise from 2014’s 11 million permit-holders. Moreover, this number should be set to surge further. In the wake of the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in the NRA-supported case New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, law-abiding gun owners in well-populated states such as California, New York, and New Jersey are only just beginning to enjoy a right to carry.
Of course, even the growing permit figures underestimate the number of Americans who carry concealed firearms, since 29 states now have permitless concealed carry via their constitutional carry laws.
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