Americans continue to embrace the concealed carry lifestyle. All indications are that we are currently living in the golden age of concealed carry. It’s difficult for those of us in the handful of oppressive states to see this sometimes but it is nevertheless true. Americans are living in the golden age of concealed carry.
Dr John Lott of the Crime Prevention Research Center is probably the foremost authority in the United States when it comes to firearms policy and related issues. Dr Lott is one of the best sources of unbiased, accurate information on the subject.
Dr Lott recently published Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States:2021. The report can be downloaded here. All gun owners and particularly those who carry concealed should take a few minutes to read this report.
The following are some statistics to consider from the report:
- Concealed carry permits in the US now number 21.52 million – a 48% increase since 2016 and a 10.5% increase over 2020.
- 21 states now have Constitutional Carry meaning no permit is required for their citizens to carry concealed
- The number of permit holders grew by 2 million last year breaking the previous record of 1.8 million set in 2017
- 8.3% of American adults have permits. If the oppressive states of California and New York are excluded the number is 10%
- In fifteen states more than 10% of adults have permits. Alabama is highest with 32.1% followed by Indiana at 21.6% and Iowa at 16.5%
- Six states have over 1 million permit holders with Florida having 2.5 million permits
- In 2021, 28.3% of permit holders are women and permit numbers grew 108.7% faster for women than men (based on data from states that provide information by gender)
- Permits issued to Asians increased 93.2% faster than to whites while permits issued to blacks grew 135.7% faster than whites
So why is this happening? It’s tempting to blame recent events as driving this trend:
- Our summer of mostly peaceful riots, looting, arson, violent assaults, and murder condoned by a major political party
- The defund the police movement
- The rise of violent racist/Marxist groups like BLM and Antifa
- The skyrocketing increase in crime (both violent and property) being experienced in most cities across the country
- A completely undefended and open border being crossed by millions of unknown individuals
- A government (state and federal) with no regard at all for the rights of citizens or the law as demonstrated by the outrageous overreach under the guise of COVID
- A government (state and federal) conducting an extremely aggressive attack on the Constitution in general and the Second Amendment in particular
While the above events have certainly contributed to the growing interest in concealed carry, they are not the driving force. The fact is that this has been a growing trend for at least the last 20 years. Over that time as more states enacted laws supporting and protecting our Second Amendment rights, more Americans began taking advantage of their newly restored rights. People will continue to buy guns at increasing rates. People will continue to take responsibility for their own safety and protection and the number of those embracing the concealed carry lifestyle will continue to grow.
In the current session, the US Supreme Court will hear New York State Rifle and Pistol Association vs Bruen. The question being addressed is whether a good cause requirement violates the Second Amendment. A favorable ruling would impact the eight “may issue” states and increase the number of permits by 2.3 million. That increase assumes that the 1.24% of adults with permits in those states increases to the national average of 10%.
So be happy! We are living in the golden age of concealed carry. Americans appreciate and will protect the Second Amendment. The number of Americans that carry daily will continue to grow and the communities in which people accept responsibility for their own safety and protection will become safer.
The right to self-defense is a basic human right. Gun ownership is an integral part of that right. If you want to keep your rights defend them by joining San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO) in San Diego, Orange County Gun Owners (OCGO) in Orange County, San Bernardino County Gun Owners (SBCGO) in San Bernardino County or Riverside County Gun Owners (RCGO) in Riverside. Support the cause by listening to Gun Owners Radio live on Sunday afternoon or on the internet at your leisure. Join the fight and help us restore and preserve our second amendment rights. Together we will win.
©2021 Joseph T Drammissi
This article and more of Joe’s work covering the Second Amendment and other topics can be found on Substack at https://getagrip.substack.com
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