Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States

[Nuclear Unicorn]

Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States

John R. Lott Jr.
Crime Prevention Research Center

John E Whitley
Crime Prevention Research Center; Institute for Defense Analyses

Rebekah C. Riley
Crime Prevention Research Center

July 13, 2015

Abstract:

Since President Obama’s election the number of concealed handgun permits has soared, growing from 4.6 million in 2007 to over 12.8 million this year. Among the findings in our report:
-- The number of concealed handgun permits is increasing at an ever- increasing rate. Over the past year, 1.7 million additional new permits have been issued – a 15.4% increase in just one single year. This is the largest ever single-year increase in the number of concealed handgun permits.
-- 5.2% of the total adult population has a permit.
-- Five states now have more than 10% of their adult population with concealed handgun permits.
-- In ten states, a permit is no longer required to carry in all or virtually all of the state. This is a major reason why legal carrying handguns is growing so much faster than the number of permits.
-- Since 2007, permits for women has increased by 270% and for men by 156%.
-- Some evidence suggests that permit holding by minorities is increasing more than twice as fast as for whites.
-- Between 2007 and 2014, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.2 (preliminary estimates) per 100,000. This represents a 25% drop in the murder rate at the same time that the percentage of the adult population with permits soared by 156%. Overall violent crime also fell by 25 percent over that period of time.
-- States with the largest increase in permits have seen the largest relative drops in murder rates.
-- Concealed handgun permit holders are extremely law-abiding. In Florida and Texas, permit holders are convicted of misdemeanors or felonies at one-sixth the rate that police officers are convicted.

http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2629704

[Eleanors38]

1. Over all, this report doesn't surprise me. The purported increase in minority CCW...

should be backed up by data. I wonder if there is no simple way to measure this. Female CCWs can probably to some extent be winnowed from the totals by name and concurrent i.ds, but minorities, however defined, may be more difficult to track.

[DonP]

2. Don't know about other states, but Illinois doesn't have a place for race on the CC application

Not like the 4473 where you have to declare if you are Hispanic or not Hispanic, then add your race to the form.

That part always makes me feel creepy.

[Eleanors38]

3. Never noticed that feature. What stood out to me was the singling out of "marijuana."

All other illegal substances were generically referenced in toto.

Hmm. Mexicans and marihuana. How old is that form?