A study from the Crime Prevention Research Center has evidence that “legally-possessed handguns deter crime, rather than contribute to it.” John Lott, president of the CPRC, said that the huge increase in the number of conceal permits shows that attitudes among Americans towards firearms are changing.

Yesterday, I shared a study that “debunks the myth of defensive gun use. ” That study is locked behind a paywall but was promoted by a media front for the gun-grabbers at Everytown for Gun Safety. (I read that stuff so you don’t have to.)

On the other hand, Lott’s study shows that the number of permits has risen by 178% over the last eight years.

“Americans have increasing come to believe that guns make them safer,” Lott said, stressing that African-Americans are increasingly embracing their Second Amendment rights. “A number of surveys show increasing numbers of Americans believe that having more guns owned by their neighbors or in their homes make them safer.”

Now you see why the Everytown posse has to put out a “study” showing that guns don’t make people safer. Because people’s action speak louder than gun-grabber propaganda.

According to the study, concealed-carry permits have risen by 156% among men and a whopping 270% for women. Lott also revealed that minority groups are acquiring concealed-carry permits faster than whites.

“Over the last couple of years, there has been a massive sea change among blacks’ views towards guns,” Lott said.

“The other part of the reason is that states that have had concealed handgun permits for a while have been lowering the cost of getting permits,” Lott said, referring to fees and the cost of mandatory training. “As the study notes there is a huge difference across states in the cost of getting a permit. But not too surprisingly, lower costs appear to increase the rate that blacks get permits relative to whites.”

Also of note is the drop in crime: “Lott notes that the national murder rate fell to 4.2 people per 100,000 from 5.6 per 100,000 between 2007 and 2014. Overall, violent crime dropped 25 percent in the same period.”

So while the Everytown crew would like the public to believe that there is no efficiency to defensive gun use, there might well be less reason to use a gun defensively. Criminals tend to target the unarmed in areas with strict control rather than run the risk of having a gun pulled on them. The more places that allow conceal and carry, the greater the risk to the criminal.