By: José Niño

Over the past year, the number of concealed carry permits has increased dramatically, according to a report by the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC).

Per CPRC’s figures, the number of active concealed carry licenses and permits in the U.S. surged to 21.52 million in 2021.

The report was published by CPRC President John Lott and research associate Rujun Wang. The CPRC authors said the increase in the number of concealed carry permits marks “a 48 percent increase since 2016,” and represents “a 10.5 percent increase over the number of permits we counted a year ago in 2020.”

The CPRC report also noted that 21 states now have “constitutional carry” laws that allow lawful citizens to carry a firearm without having to beg the government for permission.

The abstract highlighted how, “This increase occurred despite 21 Constitutional Carry states that no longer provide data on all those legally carrying a concealed handgun because people in those states no longer need a permit to carry.

“Because of these constitutional carry states,” the report continued, “the nationwide growth in permits does not paint a full picture of the overall increase in concealed carry.”

In the last year, the report observed, “the number of permit holders grew by a record 2 million.” Per the CPRC’s figures, “8.3 percent of American adults have permits.” When rabidly anti-gun states like California and New York are taken out of the picture, the percentage moves up to 10 percent.

In a 2020 report, there were 19.48 million active licenses and permits, representing an increase of 820,000 from the 2019 numbers. What was even more impressive, as CPRC observes, is that this increase in permits came during a time when many states were “shutting down issuing permits because of the coronavirus.”

Dave Workman of AmmoLand listed off which states have the highest percentage of adults who are licensed to carry:

“In 15 states, more than 10 percent of adults are licensed to carry. Those states identified in the report are Alabama, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington and West Virginia.”

According to the CPRC report, there are six states with over 1 million permit holders. These states include Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Indian, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Florida gained the distinction of being the first state with over 2.5 million permit holders.

Undoubtedly, these concealed carry figures have Gun Control Inc. livid. Americans have strong pro-Second Amendment instincts. Many Americans see through the media blood libel against the right to bear arms and understand the importance of being armed, especially in times of political and economic uncertainty.

One thing the last year has shown when it comes to firearms sales and increased permit holders is that the Second Amendment remains strong. It’s going to take a lot of political mobilization on the part of the gun grabbers to undermine it.

José Niño is a freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.