More than 21 million Americans have a concealed carry permit, according to historical statistician John Lott, director of the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC). But what's frustrating for those who know and rely on reliable numbers is the fact that that estimate is probably far too low.
Here's why: Currently, 29 states allow “constitutional carry.” This means that law-abiding citizens are free to carry firearms without first obtaining permission from the government. And that means he doesn't appear in the numbers Lott uses in his annual report on the subject.
Lott explained:
Concealed handgun permit data is a better measure of changes in gun ownership than NICS surveys (background checks) or (opinion polls) surveys, but it does not reflect the actual number of people who can legally carry a concealed handgun. clearly underestimates the increase.
(And) the magnitude of that underestimation has increased over time.
3 reasons
• 29 states no longer require permits. Generally, people in these states only obtain concealed carry permits when traveling outside of their home state. These states are probably where concealed carry is most common because there are no fees or other requirements. In fact, the number of licenses to carry in the constitutional carrying states is actually 729,253, despite the fact that the number of people actually carrying has undoubtedly increased significantly due to the elimination of carriage fees and training requirements. The number of people decreased.
• Concealed carry data is not readily available in some states. For example, New Hampshire only collects data on permits issued to nonresidents. Alabama does not collect any of this data at the state level, so obtaining data from many individual counties and cities is a very tedious process. New York State Police has not responded to requests for concealed carry data for months, saying the ITTS division still controls the data.
• In some states, data is more than a year old and does not reflect the recent accelerated increase in permits. Therefore, Lott writes, “the 21.5 million number undoubtedly underestimates the total number of Americans with permits.”
for the average American
Using old data from 2017, in a room filled with 10 people, there is a 43% chance that someone in the room is carrying a concealed gun. In a room with 20 people, the probability jumps to 67%. If it's 50 people, you're almost certain: 89%.
But that means you're using old and outdated data. Today, in a room of just five people, there is almost certainly at least one person with a stash.
Additionally, Lott noted that the number of permits issued to women has increased by 250% in the past decade alone, and the number of permits issued to black people has tripled.
More guns means less crime
Lott, who famously wrote “More Guns, Less Crime'' in 1998 (and updated the study in 2010), said, “Violent crime will increase from 4.77 per 10 million people in 2007 to 1,000 by 2023.'' “The number of cases decreased by 24% to 3.64 cases per 10,000 people.” This came as the percentage of adults with permits tripled.
Rather than retort with “I told you so,” Lott returned to the issue by declaring, “There does not appear to be a clear positive relationship between permits and crime.” “I told you so,” said Lott, a well-known and highly respected statistician.
cry of freedom
That said, the release of Lott's secret annual report on Americans is a victory for freedom. The less government (at any level) knows about us, the more free we will be from government interference, infringement, and intimidation.
What's especially important is that all of this is happening while gun rights are under vicious and relentless attack by Marxists in the White House and the media. The Biden-Harris administration has used (and created) every conceivable tool to thwart, violate, and attack our precious constitutional rights. These include supporting new gun control measures, using the ATF to drive gun dealers out of business, and supporting efforts to strip the protections from frivolous lawsuits that Congress granted the gun industry in 2005. etc. are included.
The Biden administration's statements in response to the school shooting in Madison, Wisconsin, earlier this week perfectly reflect the failed and unsuccessful attempts to lay the groundwork for gun confiscations. Biden's calls for Congress to “do something” after the shooting included a repeat of the same old and tired invasions and violations he had promoted for years, none of which involved the shooting of a 15-year-old. It had no connection or impact with the perpetrator's violent attack. About innocent people.
Lott could be forgiven for being frustrated with the accuracy of the number of people he had hidden away. It is the cry of freedom.
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