Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States: 2019

John R. Lott

Crime Prevention Research Center

Date Written: September 27, 2019

Abstract

The number of concealed handgun permits has increased for the third year in a row. The figure now stands at over 18.66 million – a 304% increase since 2007. It’s also an 8% increase over the number of permits we counted a year ago in 2018. Unlike gun ownership surveys that may be affected by people’s unwillingness to answer personal questions, concealed handgun permit data is the only really “hard data” that we have. Sixteen states are missing from the data because people there don’t even need a permit to carry.
Among the findings of our report:
■ Last year, the number of permit holders continued to grow by about 1.4 million. Despite expectations that increases in permits were primarily driven by fears of Democratic presidencies, the growth has continued at a similar pace after the November 2016 election.
■ 7.3% of American adults have permits. Outside of the restrictive states of California and New York, about 8.75% of the adult population has a permit.
■ In thirteen states, more than 10% of adults have permits, down from just fifteen last year. Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia fell below 10%, but they are now all Constitutional Carry states, meaning that people no longer need a permit to carry. South Carolina’s concealed carry rate has now risen to above 10%.
■ Alabama has the highest concealed carry rate — 26.3%. Indiana is second with 17.9%, and South Dakota -- another Constitutional Carry state -- saw its percentage decline to 16.02%.
■ Four states now have over 1 million permit holders: Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas. Florida is the first state to have over 2 million permits.
■ Sixteen states have adopted constitutional carry, meaning that a permit is no longer required. Because of these constitutional carry states, the nationwide growth in permits does not paint a full picture of the overall increase in concealed carry. But some residents still choose to obtain permits so that they can carry in other states that have reciprocity agreements.

Keywords: Concealed handgun permits, defensive gun use, right-to-carry laws, constitutional carry

JEL Classification: K10, K47

Suggested Citation:

Lott, John R., Concealed Carry Permit Holders Across the United States: 2019 (September 27, 2019). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=

Civilians Stop Mass Murder- the real news you didn’t see

JUNE 18, 2018

tags: gun culture, news media, self defense

I research news stories of civilian self-defense. These important events receive relatively little media coverage. We had some important cases in just the last few weeks. I’ll give you the details, but first let me explain why these stories are important to understand.

Timeline-  There are about 20 million citizens licensed to carry a concealed weapon in public. Per person, there are more armed civilians in states like Indiana and Alabama than in states like New Jersey and California. On average, an armed civilian is much closer to you than the police. That matters when time is critical.

Violent attacks come as a surprise.

“Bang.” What was that? Was it a gunshot?

“Bang” That guy is shooting people. What should I do?

Most people run. Some armed defenders will move toward the gunfire and stop the attacks. That is what good guys do.

If you are a disarmed civilian then you run until you feel safe. Once you’ve regained your wits a few minutes later, you call the police. The average police response time is twelve and a half minutes from when you make the call. The murderer may shoot at will until he is confronted. The police may, or may not, advance on an armed gunman. On average, there are an additional 12 victims if we wait for the police to arrive.

It is the victims we don’t see, the dozen who were saved and who never make the news, that makes these such important stories. Why didn’t you know about the dozen people saved?

The news media isn’t in the business of telling us about what didn’t happen. They are biased to sell fear and outrage. They sell emotion, not information. If you doubt that claim then please consider this.

Which is a more important for you to know, the news stories with many people shot..or the stories with many people saved? Which story will receive days of attention and which will receive a few seconds of coverage?

There is also a second type of bias at play. It is subtle, but I can think of several recent instances when there were several independent civilian defenders who responded to the same violent attack. Each defender acted alone. They all converged on the attacker. One of these defenders shot first. The others become invisible to the news media in that moment.

In fact, these armed defenders are out there with us all the time. They are concealed rather than invisible. Here are the two recent events I had in mind where multiple “invisible” armed civilians stopped an armed murderer.

Photo from the Mercury News

Louie’s Grill & Bar, Lake Hefner, Oklahoma City, OK-  At the end of May, a mentally ill man walked into a lakeside restaurant. He complained of hearing demons in his TV and from his computer. The murderer walked inside the restaurant and shot three strangers, a mother and her two young daughters. Patrons ran and hid. The restaurant is posted as a “gun-free” zone so there were no armed defenders inside. Two of our invisible defenders ran to their cars and got their guns. They followed the attacker through the restaurant and shot him. They did not shoot each other.

Photo from the Seattle Times

Walmart store, Tumwater, WA-  In the middle of June, an armed criminal carjacked a 16 year old girl. Some news reports describe the young woman as having been shot while other reports say she suffered only minor injuries. The criminal drove the stolen car to a nearby Walmart. He walked inside the store and shot a display case several times. The shoppers fled from the store and ran into the parking lot. The criminal carjacked a second person outside the store. This time, we know the criminal shot the owner of the car. News reports say that armed civilians converged on the criminal and shot him. Conflicting reports credit two defenders while some reports indicate there were as many as three armed defenders. Later news reports, now confirmed, said that one of the armed defenders got a medical kit from his car and applied first aid to the seriously wounded victim of the carjacking. The victim survived the attack.

One of the armed defenders was in the store parking lot with his family. Like many other examples, this looked like an ordinary afternoon. There was no sign that trouble was on the way. These defenders chose to go armed anyway and then saved many innocent lives as a result. You could do that too.

I thank those of you who carry concealed. You may be invisible to the media, but you clearly made a difference here.

Overheard at Work

"My boss is now encouraging me to carry concealed at work. I love Alaska!"

Concealed Carry Reciprocity Bill

Stutzman to Introduce GOA-Backed Reciprocity Bill for Concealed Carry Not a GOA member yet?  Make sure to join Gun Owners of America! It's a problem as fresh as today's headlines. A Pennsylvania woman with a concealed carry license drives over the New Jersey line with a gun in her car.  In a routine traffic stop, she is arrested and charged for violating New Jersey's unconstitutional gun laws. Only a national campaign saves her from a decade in prison. And that's just the point:  In an era where states like New York and California use draconian and labyrinthine gun laws in order to try to outlaw guns by fiat, a legal gun owner shouldn't risk a life behind bars because he or she drives across a state line into a socialist-leaning state.  A Floridian shouldn't live in fear of a move that takes him through New York, or a Virginian, of a trip through Maryland. So it is good news that, after a campaign that has lasted for over a decade, we are now within striking range of passing reciprocity legislation that is friendly to citizens living in constitutional carry states. Congressman Marlin Stutzman (R-IN) has told Gun Owners of America that he will be introducing this reciprocity bill within the next few weeks.  This bill will prohibit states like New York and California from cancelling the Second Amendment rights of Americans from other states.  If you have a concealed carry permit -- or if you come from a freedom-loving state that doesn't require one -- you can carry anywhere in the country without fear of losing your constitutional rights because of where you are. With six constitutional carry states -- and at least four other states which may pass those laws this year -- the Stutzman bill is a particularly important contrast to competing bills which would require states like Vermont to change their pro-gun laws in order to benefit. Now, we know that some of our members would argue:  "Why shouldn't principles of federalism allow states to spit on the Second Amendment if they want to?"  We respect this view, but respectfully disagree.  Gun grabbers have no problem creating national rules to take away our Second Amendment rights, irrespective of what we do.  So it's time they were hoisted on their own petard. In addition, the Supreme Court (correctly) ruled in McDonald v. Chicago (2010) that the reach of the Second Amendment extends beyond just the federal government and applies to all 50 states. In this landmark decision, the Court noted (approvingly) that anti-gun Justice Stephen Breyer was "correct that incorporation of the Second Amendment right will to some extent limit the legislative freedom of the States, but this is always true when a Bill of Rights provision is incorporated." (p. 44) Why are we so optimistic about Stutzman?  The answer is that we now have a filibuster-proof majority to pass it in the Senate -- if we can get the new GOP leadership to give us the opportunity to offer it as an amendment to a must-pass bill.  ACTION: Contact your Representative.  Ask him or her to call Congressman Stutzman and sign up as an original cosponsor to the Stutzman "constitutional carry" friendly reciprocity bill.

Concealed Carry: In Church?

Carrying a Gun in Church

By Home Defense Gun 

This is a guest post by Scott Sylvester

 Shepherding the Flock  – Carrying a Gun in Church

Whether you are in law enforcement or a civilian with a concealed carry permit, you have earned the right to carry a firearm with you to most places. We all decided to carry because we want to be prepared to stop a lethal threat if it presents itself. We know from personal experience, facts, statistics and the evening news that bad things happen almost everywhere you go… but there is one place millions of Americans go every week and it is the one place gun owners usually do not carry their guns into: Church.



It is a sad state in America when we have to consider arming ourselves to go to a place of worship, but the facts remain, and despite what we wish was true, a church is a target of evil doers.

Carrying a firearm into church is certainly a controversial one. I’ve had this conversation in the past with a group of people who argue that there is no need to carry or have a gun in God’s house.

Common arguments are, “God will take care of his own,” or “Don’t you have any faith,” or “Nothing bad is going to happen here,” and “God would never approve of that.” I usually translate that into, “I’m complacent,” or realize that my fellow believer forgot even Jesus’ disciples carried swords from time to time. It is not a lack of my faith in a Higher power, it is my lack of faith in mankind. To prevent, overcome and combat sin is one of the reasons we visit church in the first place. So we already acknowledge evil exists and has to be addressed. Finally, God’s approval is His to give, and I doubt a well-meaning follower is qualified to deny it should I decide to carry a gun into church.

If you look at active shooter situations, the one thing they all have in common is a larger gathering of people that are unarmed and in a confined area. A church is no different than a shopping mall, theater or school. In fact, just outside of the main Sanctuary of most churches, Sunday school is taking place. A large gathering of undefended children usually supervised by a well-meaning person who believes several of the arguments I listed above.

Please understand that I am not trying to demean my fellow believers, but tactics, security and personal safety is not usually high on the list of parishioners in America. Churches in more volatile countries have no problem posting men with AK-47s at the door to ensure worshipers are uninterrupted as they commune with God. But if America acted more like Israel, we wouldn’t have some of the domestic security issues we have. Besides, we’ll have plenty of time to talk to our attacker about God while we wait for the ambulance and police.

Think about your local place of worship. Is there a security person on site? Does your church have an active shooter plan? Have they shared that plan with the congregation? While the adults are in the congregation, who is patrolling the perimeter of the church or is watching the doors? Who is watching over the kids tucked away by age group in Sunday school classes? Like David who watched over his sheep, you are the shepherd of the flock? Just like the mall and the theater, you are the first responder.

If you are a concealed carry or law enforcement professional… you are the Shepherd. Consider what God says about our ‘brothers.’ 1 John 4:21 tells us that, “Whomever loves God, must also love his brother. Remember in Genesis when God asked Cain where Abel was? Cain replied, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God asked Cain because he had an expectation that Cain was supposed to be watching out for and ‘keeping’ his brother in good welfare.

In the 23rd Psalm, God talks about being a shepherd and in verse 4 we are comforted by the rod and staff, the tools the shepherd used to guide, discipline, and defend the sheep. In Jeremiah 31:10 we are advised to gather those who are scattered and watch over the flock like a shepherd. I also like Luke 12:37 – It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watchful…” As a servant of God, we will have to give an account and we are to remain watchful over our brothers. John 15:13, one of the most popular verses for warriors tells us – “Greater love has no one than this that he lay down his life for his brothers.” Finally in Acts 20:28, “Keep watch over yourselves and all of the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own Blood.” (Also look at Titus Chapter 1:8- While it is talking about a church leader, it is a good description of what a concealed carry holder or a cop should be.)

I am not one to pass judgment on someone who has the right to carry a firearm and chooses not to. It is a personal choice and it is a choice that requires a lot of thought and soul searching. It will require additional thought and soul searching when carrying your firearm into a house of worship. Should you decide to carry, please take the extra time to make sure it is deeply concealed and you have trained to draw under these circumstances. I would never advertise that you are carrying or risk printing a gun, especially when picking your kids up from Sunday school. Ultimately, it’s your decision, I have made mine, pray about yours. Consider King David, and other warriors in the Bible. I bet they had a sword or spear in the temple. I’d be willing to bet, there are more guns in your church than you think.

I want to close by again making you think… If ne’er-do-wells decide to target your church and you stand and defend your flock like a shepherd defends his sheep, are you going to be heralded or scorned? You could save a hundred sheep from the lion, but that may not change the opinions of the sheep. Like every defensive shooting, there is an aftermath and not all of them are pleasant or well received. So consider this as well when you are deciding to carry or not to carry. Being a shepherd is a big responsibility, be ready.

Until next week, be safe, Godspeed!

Scott Sylvester is the founder of One Weapon, Any Tool. Upcoming classes are posted on his Facebook page and at the web site: www.oneweaponanytool.com

This May Not Make the National News

Worker with conceal and carry permit kills man with hand gun outside Barnhart grocery

BARNHART, MO (KTVI-TV, St. Louis) – Two men, armed with hand guns, faced off on a grocery store parking lot in Barnhart Thursday morning. Witnesses told sheriff deputies a customer, who was intoxicated, threatened a store employee with a gun. The employee pulled out his concealed gun and shot the man several times.

48 year old Robert Lawson of Imperial was pronounced dead at the scene. Employees at Karsch’s Village Market on Highway M in Barnhart had called for help. They said the intoxicated man was causing a disturbance.

Before Jefferson County deputies could arrive, employees escorted the man from the store while trying to convince him to give up the keys to his pickup truck.

“The victim, at some point in time during the conversation, produced a hand gun and pointed it at the store employee. The store employee drew his weapon and fired his weapon at least twice, maybe three times, striking the individual,” said Jefferson County Sheriff Glenn Boyer.

The store employee, a 23-year old man also from Imperial had a legal permit to carry a concealed gun according to Sheriff Boyer.

[snip] Sheriff Boyer said once the investigation is completed it will be presented to the Jefferson County Prosecutor. But he indicated it appears to be a case of self-defense. That determination will be made by the prosecutor’s office. 

 h/t Dana

A Thought for Thursday

Each day as I put on or remove my gun belt, I check the magazine in my pistol and the backup mag in its sheath. I always rap each against the heel of my hand, to make sure the rounds are seated firmly, so they'll feed properly. Then I push the exposed round back and down, just to make doubly sure.

One day, I found that the first round in the magazine in the pistol - which I'd carried all day - had moved forward about 3/16 of an inch. It likely would not have fed properly; I'd have been able to fire only the round in the chamber, followed by an failure to feed the next.

I checked that mag periodically throughout the day, and determined the spring had gone bad. I've practiced with partially filled mags, to require changing at different intervals, but ... wow. One shot? I need to change my practice routine to include that possibility.

I know I'm preaching to the choir, but check 'em, guys and gals. If you're in the wrong place at the wrong time, it's good to know you'll get that next shot.

But if you carry with a round in the chamber, be prepared for failure after the first round. If it happened to me, it can happen to you.

Have a plan.

Firearms at Work: Don't Ask, Don't Tell

with a h/t to Guffaw in Arizona for starting this line of thought. I posted a reply there, but quickly realized there was more to say than would be proper as a response on someone else's blog.

I think the one of only places where "don't ask, don't tell" really works is in regard to a no-firearms-at-work policy. In his post, Guffaw refers to a decorated 'Nam vet who said, "I don't ask questions I don't want to hear answers to." 


Most of you know that Alaska was the second state to adopt "Constitutional carry", right after Vermont. If an Alaska resident is 21 or older, and otherwise legally able to purchase a firearm, then that Alaskan may carry concealed. Open carry is also perfectly fine. You don't see a lot of open carry in Anchorage due to the high percentage of nanny-staters from the Left Coast who have relocated here - and only God knows why - but it's frequently seen elsewhere, as well as on trails around town.

Given the preponderance of Outsiders in this city, it may be best to keep your peace about keeping your piece. But not always, and not for all reasons. There are good arguments for peacefully raising awareness of peaceable gun owners who happen to be armed while out & about.

Under Alaska law, landowners may post a sign on entryways thereby making their premises off-limit to weapons, but that sign doesn't apply to the building owners nor their property managers. If the building you're entering does have such a sign, you're breaking the law if you bring a firearm across the threshold.

In Alaska, you also must not carry a firearm into another person's residence without obtaining their permission, first. But those two things aside, the signs on the UAA campus prohibiting firearms on the premises are ... well, not quite a joke. More of a suggestion, really, because there's no law against it. The worst they can do is ask you to leave, or face trespass charges if you don't. On the other hand, anyone care to guess at the percentage of older students who are armed but keeping it to themselves?

There are no such signs on my building, nor do I intend to post any. The property I manage is run differently. A lot of folks here know that I carry, and I've had a number of good conversations with other gun owners/shooters, and have even helped one tenant select a pistol because she'd gotten mugged when interrupting a drug deal in progress. There are a number of tenants who also carry, and I've written in the past about one lady here who had a humongous stainless .44 Magnum revolver in her purse. (How do I know? She showed me.)

I have carried openly here, on occasion, but find that I generally carry concealed because I'd prefer any panhandlers or other types of ne'er-do-wells to not know whether I'm armed. That uncertainty on their part might be the edge I need if things go south.

We have bears in the neighborhood who are frequently seen in our parking lot, as well as a mama moose who's a prolific producer of offspring. Moose aren't usually a threat, but can be if provoked ... and approaching a calf is a sure way to find out some surprising things about Mama's attack policy.

Several of my tenants' businesses are owned by corporations in the eastern part of the U.S., and one of them approached me last year about their need to comply with the parent company's "no firearms" policy. The lady in question had offered me a tour of their sterile area, which meant that I had to wear scrubs and booties to enter that part of the space. This was before I began my weight loss, so the "guest" scrubs were dang near too small for me.

It turned out I could just fit into the jumpsuit, but only if I removed everything from my belt. So she watched as I removed a Leatherman, then my 1911 in its holster, and a spare magazine. It didn't seem to alarm her, which was a relief to me at the time.

So, knowing that I carry, she asked how she could properly word the required signs for the premises she controlled, inside my building which permits the carry of weapons. Her company's policy was "no weapons except for sworn law enforcement personnel."

I suggested that her signs read, "No weapons except for sworn law enforcement personnel and those otherwise permitted by State law" (my emphasis).  Of course, that meant that anyone lawfully carrying already could enter her space without concern. She thought it was a great idea, and - as far as I know - that's what she did.

And strangely enough, there haven't been any mass murders, no blood in the halls, nor any mayhem of any kind. Who knew?

p.s. Along with all the above, there's something else to think about.

Mid-March Mornings

It's 24 degrees and mostly cloudy this morning, with a forecast high near 40 again today. Everyone has been enjoying the sunshine, but that's coming to an end for now. Our friendly weather gurus are split on the weekend's climate, so we'll just wait ... as if we had any other choice.

* * * * *

There's a little problem with the "deem and pass" (demon pass?) procedure that Nancy Pelosi has been bleating about: in 1998, the Supreme Court ruled that:

"(1) a bill containing its exact text was approved by a majority of the Members of the House of Representatives; (2) the Senate approved precisely the same text; and (3) that text was signed into law by the President. The Constitution explicitly requires that each of those three steps be taken before a bill may “become a law.” Art. I, §7. [Without that procedure, the law] would not have been validly enacted." (emphasis added)

Congress is about to knowingly violate the Constitution and a recent SCOTUS ruling. STOP THEM. Call your Congressmen again.

* * * * *

The State is calling off its hunt for more wolves that might have been involved in last week's killing of a teacher near Chignik Lake, for a simple reason: they killed two, and can't find any others. The residents there aren't happy about stopping, and remain on the lookout for more.

* * * * *

I am (slowly) losing weight, and a side-effect has become an issue for me: my gun belt sags, allowing the holster to slide south. I'm at that in-between stage where I haven't quite lost enough to comfortably wear a smaller waistband ... but I suppose it's a good problem to have. I'll switch to a shoulder rig for now, which isn't my favorite carry, and kick myself for not having gotten that IWB holster I was looking at, last summer. (Availability can be an issue, here, and I just have to keep looking until one appears on local shelves again.)

My other option is to carry a much lighter pistol for now. So do I go with the full-size 1911, or downsize to the S&W 442 in .38 Spl +P?

Decisions, decisions.

Friday Afternoon

It's a cool & damp day, with light rain falling. We managed to eke out a 55-degree high, but temps are falling again, as of 3:40. At least it's a light overcast, rather than dark and dreary. We'll have enough of those days, soon enough.

Of course it's raining: the State Fair started yesterday. The Fair is nothing without ankle-deep mud! And let's not forget the two- and three-hour traffic jams as ten or fifteen thousand people try to get into the same parking lot, from the same two-lane blacktop road.

The seagulls have been gone for a month, and we've been serenaded by flocks of south-bound geese at sunrise and sunset for the last two weeks.

* * * * *

The return of cooler weather necessitates wardrobe changes. Soon it will be too chilly to wear short-sleeved shirts. Concealing a firearm in summertime is a little more complicated than in the winter, but I suppose that Alaskan summers, with our correspondingly lower temps, offer an advantage that I wouldn't have in a warmer climate.

On all but the warmest days, I can get away with wearing a nice vest over a lightweight shirt. The vest has Velcro pockets with built-in adjustable elastic holster straps on both sides of the opening. That's nice, as we southpaws needs to be able to draw, too. I also appreciate that I don't always need to have my pistol weighing down my belt.

Once the weather has moved to "winter" status, a light jacket is perfectly normal, indoors or out. In the meantime, I keep my office a degree or two cooler than most other folks, so that I don't get too warm with the vest over a shirt.

Oh, well - I believe I'm preaching to the converted, here, since most of my readers are already gunny types.

* * * * *

I'm deliberately avoiding political topics, the last couple of days; I wanted some time to let things settle and/or percolate. I'll be back to a rolling boil in no time, I'm afraid.

Thanks for stopping by, folks. I truly appreciate the time you spend looking at my little corner of 'teh intarw3bz'. Also, I notice a couple of new followers, so "Welcome!" to them.

Have a great weekend.