More than 16.3 million Americans have a concealed handgun permit, breaking last year’s record by 1.83 million. In its annual study, the Crime Prevention Research Center found, for the fourth consecutive year, that permit holders across the United States have increased with this year’s jump to the highest in our nation’s history.
“I think there are lots of things that are changing,” John Lott, President of the Crime Prevention Research Center, told Red Alert Politics. “Surely, things like mass public shootings have something to do with it, but I think people are becoming more comfortable with the idea of concealed carry.”
Lott attributed a lot of the increases to several states removing the ‘hassles’ of carrying by reducing their gun free zones and lowering their permit fees. In the past year, Texas lowered its fee from $140 to $40.
“If I lived in an area where there were many places that I can’t carry it just becomes a real hassle to carry. Because then I can’t go into those establishments. So as you’re able to carry in more places, it makes sense that people would go and get more permits,” Lott explained.
Of the states where data was available by age, the findings also suggested Americans age 35 and younger have been getting permits slightly faster than the overall rate.
The biggest increase in permit holders were among African Americans and women. The report found that women are obtaining permits at a 326 percent faster rate than men.
“You have a lot more women and a lot more minorities, blacks, and Asians getting concealed weapons than you saw just a few years ago. And I think that shows that there is a real change for people’s preferences in having guns for protection,” he continued.
More than six percent of Americans have a concealed handgun permit, which is a percentage that may not seem like a lot. However, it is significantly higher than the 2014 findings where a little under five percent had concealed carry permits.
The Crime Research Prevention Center notes that the percentage of people with permits to carry is directly affected by the difficulty to which it takes to get them. While Lott acknowledged restrictions in some states are being lifted, states, like New York and California, still have laborious restrictions that makes it nearly impossible to get a permit unless you are an elite member of the community.
“In New York City, Donald Trump had a permit, Arthur Sulzberger, publisher for the New York Times has a permit, union presidents, Howard Stern has a permit, Robert De Niro has a permit,” Lott said, “It’s fine that those individuals feel the need to carry a gun with them for safety, but they are not the ones who will most likely be victims of violent crime.”
Despite those in opposition of concealed carry permits, studies have consistently shown that an increase in concealed handgun permits does not equate to an increase in crime. The states with the highest concealed carry rates experienced lower rates of murder and violent crime.
Still, lawmakers go head to head on the issue, with Democrats calling for tougher restrictions and Republicans wanting to expand permit laws. The issue of concealed carry made headlines just last month after the June attack at the Republican congressional baseball practice in which House Majority Whip Steve Scalise was shot.
“D.C. rules essentially disarmed them all at the practice they were lucky Steve Scalise was present,” Lott said.
Republican congressmen have drafted a law that would allow people who have a concealed weapon permits in other states to carry in Washington D.C. Although the practice took place in Alexandria, Virginia the lawmakers stay in D.C. when in session. Under the current law, since the congressmen were commuting to and from D.C. they would have been violating the law with their handguns when they returned to D.C. that day. Lawmakers are making the argument that if they were allowed to carry in the district they would have been able to protect themselves and others at the shooting.
