UPDATE: Newest numbers 14.5 million permit holders in 2016. The report below is for 2014. The later reports for 2015 and 2016 can be seen here.

ORIGINAL POST: Concealed-Carry-Permit-Holders-Across-the-United-StatesThe Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) today released a report, Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States, revealing that 11.1 million Americans hold concealed carry permits up from an estimated 4.6 million in 2007 [scroll down to see some updated numbers showing closer to 12 million permit holders].

The last comprehensive report on the number of concealed carry permit holders was completed three years ago by the U.S. Government Accountability Office and showed that 8 million Americans held a concealed carry permit. These numbers show that the number of permits is not only increasing, but they are growing at faster and faster rates.

The report also notes:

Three states (South Dakota, Indiana, and Alabama) now have over 10 percent of their adult populations with permits, and 10 states have at least 8 percent of their adult populations with permits.

The number of concealed carry permit holders is likely much higher than 11.1 million. This is true for three reasons: 1) in six states it isn’t necessary to get a permit to carry a concealed handgun, 2) data is not available for all states, and 3) the data for some of the states are two to three years old and thus don’t include the large recent increases in the number of permits.

Between 2007 and the preliminary estimates for 2013, murder rates have fallen from 5.6 to 4.4 per 100,000 – a 22 percent drop in the murder rate at the same time that the percentage of the adult population with permits soared by 130 percent. Overall violent crime also fell by 22 percent over that period of time.

News coverage of report.

Some updated numbers (number used in the July report and the updated numbers):

California 35,000, now about 50,000

Colorado 153,044, December 31, 2014 165,528

Connecticut 203,989, March 1, 2015 over 230,000

Delaware 5,000, March 3, 2015 11,718 (Delaware Criminal Justice Information System)

Florida 1,278,246, November 2014 1,346,629 , May 31, 2015 1,404,207

Georgia 600,000, December 31, 2014 750,000 (Georgiacarry.org)

Illinois 33,631 end of 2014 over 90,000 , at the end of March 2015 it was 103,000

Indiana 537,964 (12/13), December 31, 2014 585,438 , March 31, 2015 586,451

Kansas 75,099, March 2015 about 90,000

Kentucky 203,266, December 31, 2013 254,017

Minnesota 163,758, December 31, 2014 184,895 , March 31, 2015 189,131 , April 30, 2015 194,905

Nevada 80,892, February 20, 2015 90,228

North Dakota 30,997, December 31, 2013 40,888

Ohio 391816, December 31, 2014 428,894 (obtained by summing the number of issued and renewed permits over last 5 years)

Pennsylvania 872,277, April 15th, 2015 1,064,360

Texas 708,048 , December 31, 2014 825,957 , as of April 2015 841,500

Virginia 363,274, March 16, 2015 387,054, 13,442 nonresident permits (obtained from Corinne Geller, Public Relations Director, Va State Police)

Utah 550,663, December 31, 2014 590,118 , March 31, 2015 603,144 , residential 202,637

Washington State, 456,270, February 28, 2014 482,852 – Washington Department of Licensing, 360.902.3600

Other older information on permits available here

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annual report on number of concealed handgun permits, concealed carry, CPRC original research, Media Discussion on CPRC

By johnrlott

