The CPRC’s annual report on concealed handgun permits has gotten more coverage at Fox News.
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. . . Fox News Digital reported earlier this year that as constitutional carry laws expanded to more states across the country, the number of Americans with concealed carry permits fell slightly in 2023. Though the numbers dipped, more Americans are actually carrying concealed firearms thanks to these laws, Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) founder and President John Lott told Fox News Digital last month.
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”I’ve been tracking the number of concealed carry permits since 1998,” Lott said. “And what you find is that this is the first year that there’s actually been a drop in the number of concealed carry permits. It’s not very much, but you basically see two different types of states. In the constitutional carry states, there was a drop. In all the other states, there was an increase.”
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A CPRC study found a 0.5% decrease in concealed carry holders across the U.S. this year compared to 2022.
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“The main reason for the drop is that the number of permits declines gradually in the constitutional carry states even though it is clear that more people are legally carrying,” the study found.
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Lott explained that obtaining a concealed carry permit in the 23 states where there are no constitutional carry laws can be an expensive endeavor, and by eliminating those heavy costs, more people will carry. Lowering costs also changes the “mix of people who get permits” and leads to “a lot more permits issued in heavily minority, poor zip codes,” where crime often lurks, allowing law-abiding residents to better protect themselves. . . .
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