Why Concealed Carry Permits Numbers are Soaring

[Dean Weingarten]

Carry permits for concealed weapons are soaring all across the country. Part of the reason for this is uncertainty about the future. No one knows what is going to happen with tax rates, inflation, Obamacare, and the stock market.

This uncertainty has translated into uncertainty about public safety, both from ordinary criminals and from the possibility of a breakdown of public order.

A comment writer in Lane County, Oregon expresses the motives for and results of obtaining a concealed carry permit well:

After many years of no guns in the home (grandchildren, after all), we made the decision to resume owning and carrying firearms last fall. BEST DECISION EVER!

It had been over 20 years since we had a gun in the house. So we took some courses (several, actually), carefully selected handguns and a home-defense shotgun that fit and suit us, and have discovered a peace of mind, confidence and security beyond anything I expected. I had expected we'd be anxious or worried about safety. The opposite has happened! I don't worry nearly as much about my wife going out, the house feels much more like a refuge, and I recommend it.

Only caveat: GET TRAINED! Don't settle for "knowing" what to do or even how to do it. GET TRAINED! Practice, and get some individual coaching. Practice some more. Develop solid safety habits. There are several excellent trainers in the area--find one whose personality suits you and keep going back. Or, attend a variety of classes. Personally, I like the different styles and emphasis each instructor has had. "You can't learn less!" And then, keep practicing.

Best decision we've made since deciding to get married! (Having kids was a pretty good decision, too!)

Lane County Oregon has been experiencing a surge of concealed carry permit applications. Over 8 percent of registered voters now have concealed carry permits, and the surge is accelerating.

Several other commentators echoed the response above.

Gains in the number of concealed carry permit holders are spread across the country, with increases in applications and permit numbers a common story across the states.

Even Illinois, the last holdout to forbid the carry of arms for defense by anyone not an agent of the state, is under Court order from the Seventh Circuit to pass a law to allow residents to legally carry weapons for self defense. If the Illinois legislature fails to do so, the laws forbidding the carrying of arms in Illinois will become null and void on June 10th, 2013.

There have been some setbacks in deep blue states such as New York and Maryland, or even in Colorado, where combined heavy lobbying by the Obama administration and heavy spending by Michael Bloomberg (Billionaire Mayor of New York) resulted in a flawed and unenforceable patchwork of emotional legislation directed against armed citizens.

Many more states are simplifying and making easier the ability to carry arms for self defense.

Texas is on the verge of reducing the hours of training required from 10 to 4. Arkansas has made carrying weapons simpler and safer through definitional changes in their law. North Carolina is strongly moving toward easier carry in restaurants and on college campus grounds. Missouri is moving to reduce the age required to obtain a concealed carry permit from 21 to 19. Louisiana passed a constitutional amendment to creating one of the strongest protections of the right to keep and bear arms in the nation.

This short listing is by no means exhaustive or complete. Legal challenges are already being filed against the hastily prepared laws passed under extreme pressure and sometimes bizarre circumstances in New York, Maryland, and Colorado.

The last comprehensive survey of states indicated that more than 8 million concealed carry permits were active across the nation. The data from that report was gathered more than a year ago. It would be reasonable to expect the number of people with concealed carry permits to be over 10 million at this time. To put that number in context, there are about 800,000 full time law enforcement personnel in the United States.

Surveys of criminals have verified that they fear armed citizens as much as police/. Increasing the number of armed responders on the street make it likely that the multi-decade decrease in violent crime will continue.

©2013 by Dean Weingarten Permission to share granted as long as this notice is included.

http://gunwatch.blogspot.com/2013/05/why-concealed-carry-permits-numbers-are.html

 

[MedWheeler]

The best way to sell something to an American is to announce plans to infringe upon his right to possess it.

 

[r1derbike]

Citizens have had it with crime close to home. I have. My wife and I the last year have purchased self defense hardware. My wife has never had a firearm, I've not had one in over 30 years.

We had an incident at the front door that could have turned ugly. It didn't.

Take the crime with the gun control facade our present administration is trying to revive, and you get the picture. Economic uncertainty thrown-in and you have many people turning to self defense options.

It's not hard to understand Americans' motives. They are crystal clear!

 

[CarolinaChuck]

Of course it has to do with the current political thinking in this country, but it also has to do with the complacency Americans have had that has lead us to this state.

I grew up around firearms, heck, I did not know a single kid growing up who didn't know how to shoot. That is not so today, but it is getting better. Personnaly, I am glad to see my fellow citizens training themselves and even going the extra mile to carry. Myself, I have never needed, nor do I feel the need, to have a piece of paper that says I can carry a firearm. With my eyes starting to go, it is propably better for all of us if I come out the door with a long gun anyways...

It is well know that there is less crime around an armed citizenry; and we are not concerned about good people carring firearms. As per the Feds, they can continue down this road if they want, but I don't see the people buying any part of it.

I have a cynical way of looking at this whole mess, the Feds can not enforce the laws they have on the books now worth a hill of beans; if they write stupid laws going forward, how much better are they going to be at enforcing them? In the end, I can only hope people will come to see how irrelevant, unnecessary and corupt this much (how large) Federal Government really is.

CC

 

[Dean Weingarten]

I think you have nailed it.

 

[Sniper66]

Dean...Thank you for the thoughtful post. I am getting my CC license next month and my wife now owns her first handgun, my gift to her when she retired this month. She is signed up for a shooting and safety class next month too. Being a naturally assertive person with excellent hand-to-eye coordination, she will quickly become a better pistol shooter than I am. She's not sure about the CC for herself, but I'm betting she will warm to the idea as her comfort with firearms grows. This trend toward CC is a very positive move.

 

[we are not amused]

I signed up for my concealed carry license, because I supported the idea and the law, not because I thought I needed it, although it did make it much easier to carry a gun in my vehicle. After a few weeks, I bought a gun that would be concealable, and then a concealed carry holster, and wore it a few times, and then a few more... and pretty soon, I came to feel naked with out it.

I just liked the fact that I could defend myself if, God forbid, I ever needed to.

While, I haven't felt threatened lately, I can think of a few times in the past, that I really, really wished I had a gun!

 

[beatledog7]

It's because America is gradually waking up.

Eventually the Federal government will be either recognize the untenability of expanding its overreach and voluntarily back off or it will be run out of power kicking and screaming, by the citizenry and by the states.

I'm all for expediting the matter.

 

[mljdeckard]

In the event of a breakdown of public order, I won't be bothering to conceal. (I barely do now.)

 

[Deltaboy1984]

Folk are realizing that when seconds count the Law is minutes away.

 

[AlexanderA]

This mania to get carry permits is really inconsistent with the purist interpretation of the 2nd Amendment. By applying for a permit, you are conceding that the State can infringe on your right to bear arms. Just sayin'.

If something can be licensed, it can just as easily be prohibited.

 

[MErl]

alex, I agree, but...

The only way to counter the "blood in the streets" "OK corral" arguments is to have many people actually carrying and watch nothing happen. We know the argument is false, they know the argument is false, but until the majority knows that argument is false there will be a battle to carry at all.

 

[Dean Weingarten]

In Arizona, Alaska, and Wyoming (and likely soon in other states) we went from no concealed carry to shall issue permit concealed carry to constitutional carry. The incremental process works.

 

[Twmaster]

In Arizona, Alaska, and Wyoming (and likely soon in other states) we went from no concealed carry to shall issue permit concealed carry to constitutional carry. The incremental process works.

This.

 

[beatledog7]

The incremental process works.

Indeed, in both directions, as the antis are trying desperately to prove. That is why we must continually strive to push the existing gun control laws into extinction.

 

[c4v3man]

Nevada appears to be near to adopting constitutional carry, within the next few years perhaps. I can only hope it passes prior to our complete California... our voting record is turning decidedly liberal as of late, and I don't mean liberty minded liberalism.
Next year we will only need to qualify on a handgun, no longer required to qualify on both revolvers and semi-auto's. When I first got my permit 5-6 years ago, they required you to test on the exact model you carried, and had an itemized list on the back with makes/models qualified.

 

[Ryanxia]

In Arizona, Alaska, and Wyoming (and likely soon in other states) we went from no concealed carry to shall issue permit concealed carry to constitutional carry. The incremental process works.

Lucky

Of course Arizona didn't go to Constitutional Carry until after I moved away.

 

[hedrok]

While the "purists" may see this differently, as was mentioned by Alex, I personally don't see as CHL requirements as a negative at all. As a society in general, we've gotten so far away from what the founders saw daily that a considerable amount of training is necessary just to get back to the basic, everyday skills of the time-including the handling & operation of firearms. For most, add using/carrying a knife, fishing, planting a basic food crop, etc.
It's possible that Sweden has the answer with annual, government sponsored national shooting events to keep everyone in practice and pretty much says "there's a gun in every house...don't mess."
What's that saying?..."An armed society is a polite society."

 

[Ryanxia]

While the "purists" may see this differently, as was mentioned by Alex, I personally don't see as CHL requirements as a negative at all. As a society in general, we've gotten so far away from what the founders saw daily that a considerable amount of training is necessary just to get back to the basic, everyday skills of the time-including the handling & operation of firearms. For most, add using/carrying a knife, fishing, planting a basic food crop, etc.
It's possible that Sweden has the answer with annual, government sponsored national shooting events to keep everyone in practice and pretty much says "there's a gun in every house...don't mess."
What's that saying?..."An armed society is a polite society."

Sponsored shooting events would be neat (it's our money, might as well get something out of it) but training requirements are definitely NOT ok. Just because someone sucks with a gun doesn't mean they shouldn't have the same Right as me to protect themselves. Maybe just pulling it out will deter their attacker or maybe all they can do is shove the barrel in their attacker's gut and pull the trigger.

That being said, I'm all for training, just not letting the government dictate how much and further infringe on our Constitutional Rights.

 

[hedrok]

Just as a requirement exists everywhere in the world (that I know of) for some basic training to obtain a driver's license...I don't think it's too unreasonable to to have a similar arrangement for firearms.
Certainly not a federal program...possibly a state issue, but with the same basic guidelines across the country (for reciprocity's sake).
Personally, I would REALLY like to see a firearm familiarity program to exist early in the general education system to prevent so many accidents from just not knowing what or why.
All of my kids and grand kids have had this, and more before age 6, re-enforced often.
I'm not for more government...I'm for more knowledge and respect of and for firearms - and maybe a lot fewer kids dying...

 

[mljdeckard]

Yes, it's a great idea to allow the government to attach requirements to our rights. I have an idea, let's require people to pass a literacy test to be allowed to vote.

 

[r1derbike]

Yes, it's a great idea to allow the government to attach requirements to our rights. I have an idea, let's require people to pass a literacy test to be allowed to vote.

We're the government, and we're here to help you!

 

[hedrok]

I guess I'm just not as paranoid as some.
The NRA has a small (around here) program and the CMP has a great program for 18 down to 11(?), I think.
Gee, how about if a program could come back to all the scout programs...?
Keep lookin' over your shoulder, guys...They're gaining on you.

 

[TCB in TN]

I guess I'm just not as paranoid as some.
The NRA has a small (around here) program and the CMP has a great program for 18 down to 11(?), I think.
Gee, how about if a program could come back to all the scout programs...?
Keep lookin' over your shoulder, guys...They're gaining on you.

You could be right and people who distrust our gov may be paranoid.......or maybe you have had your head in the sand and haven't been watching...... I haven't formed a firm opinion on either position yet.

 

[INMY01TA]

What's concealed carry?