Over 21.5 Million Active Permits
The Supreme Court of the United States has set Wednesday, Nov. 3, 2021 as the date it will hear the long-awaited gun-rights case. New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen challenges the Empire State’s “good cause.” This landmark case pertains to the requirement for anyone seeking a license to carry a firearm outside the home for personal protection.
Meanwhile, the number of active concealed carry licenses and permits in the U.S. has soared to more than 21.52 million this year, according to the annual report from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC).
The CPRC report says the spike is a 48% increase since 2016 and amounts to a 10.5% increase over the number of permits we counted a year ago in 2020.
Helping us in more depth is a representative of the 2nd Amendment Foundation.
Q&A:
- The total of concealed carry gun permits this year has spiked to 21 ½ million. What does that tell us people are thinking during our current times?
Answer: Somehow it appears people are not believing everything the Biden Administration is saying, and they don’t trust big government to protect them.
- I understand that the actual number is higher for new citizens obtaining concealed weapons since some of these people are invisible to the government. How does this work?
Answer: This doesn’t necessarily reflect the total number of Americans now carrying for personal protection. As the report acknowledges, 21 states have adopted so-called “constitutional carry” laws that allow carrying firearms without the necessity of a license /permit. The information for 2020 showed 19.48 million active licenses/permits, which was a hike of 820,000 over the 2019 figure. That happened, the CPRC noted at the time, “despite many states shutting down issuing permits because of the coronavirus.”
- How many states are currently considered Constitutional Carry states that do not require a concealed carry permit?
Answer: This year’s report spans 69 pages and is bad news to the gun prohibition and anti-self-defense lobbying groups. According to the abstract, “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.”
- Just how many Americans would you estimate have concealed carry permits?
Answer: Over the past year, the number of permit holders grew by a record 2 million, according to the new report that also estimates that “8.3 percent of American adults have permits,” and outside of the restrictive states of California and New York, the percentage climbs to 10 percent.
- How many of these new concealed carry permits were for women?
Answer: The annual CPRC report also notes that in 2021, “women made up 28.3% of permit holders in the 14 states that provide data by gender.” It’s an increase of more than 26.4 percent over last year’s numbers.
- In less than a month, The U.S. Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments in the case of New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, in a challenge of New York’s “proper cause” requirement to obtain a carry permit. Tell us about that.
Answer: All eyes are on this case because if the high court rules against New York’s permitting scheme, other states’ laws are in big trouble. California, Maryland, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and a few other states have similar requirements that have prevented law-abiding citizens from exercising their right to not only “keep” arms but to “bear” them. By no small coincidence, the high court hearing occurs on the day after Election Day next month. Virginia gun owners have a solid chance to reverse course by changing the controlling party in Richmond from Democrat to Republican. It would be the opportunity for Virginians to undo the gun control measures adopted by outgoing Gov. Ralph Northam and a Democrat majority in 2020.
Former Democrat Gov. Terry McAuliffe is running to keep the governorship in Democrat’s hands, but Republican political newcomer Glenn Youngkin is challenging him. Polling has McAuliffe and Youngkin in virtually a dead heat. The Democrat’s desperation is showing as he is trying to portray Youngkin as a Donald Trump clone to rouse the lockstep northern Virginia Democrat voting bloc.
- This CPRC report comes in the wake of the FBI Uniform Crime Report for 2021, which detailed homicide and violent crime trends. Tell us about that.
Answer: The report shows a spike in homicides and violent crime. The data contained in that report offers considerable justification for increasing numbers of Americans to be armed, and not just in their homes. Most violent crime happens outside the home. With increased concerns about reductions in the police workforce in several cities around the country, it would seem only natural for concerned citizens to assume more responsibility for their safety.
- Where may we get firearms and training to use them?
Answer: (Answer may differ depending on city and state or interview)
- Tell us about the 2nd Amendment Foundation, and we may find information on this issue and your organization:
Answer: SAF.org
EXPERT GUESTS AVAILABLE TO INTERVIEW ON THIS TOPIC:
ABOUT CAM EDWARDS (In Eastern Time)
Cam Edwards of the Second Amendment Foundation – Cam Edwards is the editor at Bearing Arms.com and the host of the Cam & Company podcast, which focuses on Second Amendment news and information. Cam is originally from Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and has worked in radio, television, and online media for over two decades.
He currently lives on a small farm with his family near Farmville, Virginia, and is a member of the board of Citizens Committee to Keep and Bear Arms.
ABOUT LEE WILLIAMS
Lee Williams is also known as “The Gun Writer” and has been writing about the Second Amendment, firearms, the firearms industry, and the gun culture for more than ten years.
He is the Chief Editor of the Second Amendment Foundation’s Investigative Reporting Project and is a frequent contributor to Ammoland News and Armed American Radio. He also serves as a board member of Florida Carry, Inc.
Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming a newspaper editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army.
Lee has earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter and three medals of valor as a cop. In addition, Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
ABOUT MARK WALTERS (in Eastern Time):
Mark Walters is a national board member of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms and a broadcast media spokesman for the Second Amendment Foundation.
Recipient of the 2015 Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award, Walters is a national columnist for Ammoland and author of three books, Lessons from Armed America with Kathy Jackson: foreword by Massad Ayoob, Lessons from Unarmed America with Rob Pincus: foreword by Ted Nugent, and Grilling While Armed.
Mark is the host of two nationally syndicated talk radio programs, Armed American Radio and Armed American Radio’s Daily Defense, heard on hundreds of radio stations across the country, six days per week. In addition,
Mark has appeared on national and international radio and television on gun-related stories and is a popular podium speaker on firearms topics. Mark is a husband and father of two children and resides in Georgia with his family.
ABOUT STEPHEN WILLEFORD (In Central Time):
A native of Sutherland Springs, Texas, Stephen Willeford was raised in a family of five on a dairy farm near the First Baptist Church. He is the fourth generation to live on a few hundred acres of land in Wilson County. Stephen has always relied on his faith to guide his life, and his deep roots in Sutherland Springs are a product of his family’s commitment to their community. An avid sportsman, Stephen began shooting at a young age and honed his shooting skills by participating in shooting competitions as he grew older. In addition, he made sure his three children were trained in gun safety, passing along his expertise.
After helping stop the deadliest mass shooting in the history of Texas in November 2017, Stephen has become known across the country as the “good guy with a gun.” Stephen credits his unwavering faith and penchant for preparedness as to why he could step in during this critical incident, believing that each day of his life prepared him for what happened on that Sunday morning. Stephen has begun speaking publicly about his life and experiences, even delivering a lauded speech at the National Rifle Association Convention in May 2018. Because of his selfless service to his community, Stephen was also an honored guest of members of the Texas delegation at the 2018 State of the Union address in Washington, D.C.
An experienced professional plumber, Stephen earned his license from the Plumbers and Pipefitters Apprenticeship School in San Antonio and has nearly 35 years of experience in his field. In 2018, Governor Greg Abbott appointed Stephen to serve on the Texas Private Security Board. He is a member of the National Rifle Association (NRA), was an NRA-certified instructor, and a former assistant scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America. Stephen has been married to Pam Farmer Willeford for 30 years and has three children and three grandchildren.
ABOUT DAVE WORKMAN (In Pacific Time):
Dave Workman is an award-winning career journalist and senior editor of TheGunMag.com. He also writes for Liberty Park Press, Conservative Firing Line, and several firearms periodicals. He is also the communications director for the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
He has authored Op-Ed pieces in several major newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune, Seattle Times, and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He has also co-authored seven books with Alan Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. Workman’s beat is firearms, from politics to the outdoors. He is widely considered an authority on firearms, concealed carry, and gun politics.
ABOUT ALAN GOTTLIEB (In Pacific Time/ TV interviews only):
Alan is a strong advocate of defense. He’s a nuclear engineering graduate of the University of Tennessee, publisher of Gun Week, chairman of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, and Founder of the Second Amendment Foundation. He also serves on the Board of Directors of the American Conservative Union.
The Second Amendment Foundation (www.saf.org) is the nation’s oldest and largest tax-exempt education, research, publishing, and legal action group focusing on the Constitutional right and heritage to own and possess firearms privately. Founded in 1974, The Foundation has grown to more than 700,000 members and supporters and conducts many programs designed better to inform the public about the consequences of gun control.
CONTACT: Celinda Hawkins of Special Guests at jerry.specialguess@gmail.com or call (432) 349-2736, or Samantha Mao at jerry.specialguests@gmail.com.
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