In July, 2016, the number of concealed carry permits in the United States was over 14.5 million. The number was growing rapidly during the election year. It is now over 15 million, and likely much higher. A few states require a permit for both open and concealed carry.
Starting with the numbers from the Crime Prevention Research Center, there have been increases in all states where numbers could be found. The dozen states listed below show actual figures and the increase from the numbers cited in the CPRC study.
Arizona 272,622 to 315,107 as of May 18, 2017, an increase of 42,485.
Florida 1,581,742 to 1,755,580 as of April 30, 2017, an increase of 173,838.
Indiana 728,976, to 799,546 as of March 31, 2017, an increase of 70,570.
Michigan 556,136 to 613,387 as of May 1, 2017, an increase of 57,251.
Massachusetts 360,263 to 412,369 as of Dec, 2016, an increase of 52,106.
Ohio 549,730 to 574,000 as of September 30th an increase of 24,270. It was a record year for Ohio and many states.
Louisiana 154,707 to 173,881 as of 31 December, 2016, an increase of 19,174.
Minnesota 221,712 to 265,728 as of 1 March, 2017, an increase of 44,016.
South Carolina 276,084 to 308,406 as of December 31, 2016, an increase of 32,322.
Tennessee 560,933 to 592,517 as of 1 May, 2017, an increase of 31,584.
Texas 1,052,073 to 1,150,754 as of 31 December, 2016, an increase of 98,681.
Wisconsin 300,000 to 321,200 as of 7 January, 2017, an increase of 21,200.
That is an increase of 624,625 permits for only those dozen states. That puts the number of carry permits over 15 million nationally.
Pennsylvania has over 1.2 million permits, but the current numbers were not found in Internet searches. The numbers for Ohio are valid through the third quarter of 2016. It is likely that another 50,000 permits were added in the last two quarters in Ohio.
The rate of increase of permits continues to grow as reforms of the permitting process make the acquisition of permits easier. Texas is in the process of reducing permit fees from $140, to $40, for example. A modest counter current exists in the increase in Constitutional Carry states.
When a state converts to Constitutional carry, there is often a slight decrease in permits, followed by increases. In Arizona, there had been 156,000 permits issued by 2010. Not all of those permits would have been active. Arizona joined the Constitutional Carry club in 2010, yet today, Arizona has over 315,00 permits, more than double what it had in 2010!
Vermont was the only Constitutional Carry state until 2003, when Alaska passed its modernization bill. Arizona was next, in 2010. Since 2010, ten more states have modernized state law to reflect respect for the exercise of Second Amendment rights.
There are 13 current members of the Constitutional Carry Club. They are Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Idaho, Kansas, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Vermont, Wyoming, and West Virginia.
With over 15 million carry permits nationwide, and 13 Constitutional Carry states, the movement to restore the exercise of Second Amendment rights continues on the fast track.
©2017 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
