A recently released Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) study shows the number of concealed carry permits in the U.S. has surged by 215% under President Obama.
The number of permits held nationwide surpasses 14.5 million, which means “6.06% of the total adult population has a permit.”
According to CPRC, there was an increase of 1.73 million concealed permits in 2015 alone. This was 100,000 greater than the previous record of 1.63 million, set in 2014.
It is interesting to note that “in ten states, more than 10% of adults have concealed handgun permits.” The highest rate of carry is in Indiana, where 15% of adults have a permit. “South Dakota is close behind with 14.7%” and Florida, Texas, and Philadelphia “each have over a million residents who are active permit holders.”
But even with staggering figures, CPRC indicates there could be many more than 14.5 million citizens carrying guns for self-defense because 11 states do not require a permit “to carry in all or virtually all of the state.” And many of the 11 states have made the switch from being a permit state to a constitutional carry state during the period of time CPRC studied. Idaho, West Virginia, and Maine have eliminated the need for a permit most recently. So, the growth percentage of concealed permits under Obama is only part of the story.
Another stand out point from the CPRC study is the rate at which women are obtaining concealed permits versus that of men. The study shows that “between 2012 and 2016, in states that provide data by gender, the number of women with permits has increased twice as quickly as the number of men with permit.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.