Americans are arming themselves in record numbers, according to a recent estimate from the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) headed by author and researcher John Lott.
That group’s recent analysis of concealed carry permit data from across the United States resulted in an estimate of 15.7 million, which is up some 700,000 from the same period last year. An annual report is due out in July.
“I think you’re continuing to see a change in the composition of people who go and get permits,” Lott said in an interview with Fox News. He also noted that the number of women getting licensed to carry is “growing at a much faster rate than men.”
Women do appear to be the fastest growing segment of the shooting public. For example, in Washington State, where more than 580,000 active concealed pistol licenses are in circulation, roughly 20 percent are held by women, and that has been consistent for the past few years.
According to Lott, between 2012 and 2016, about twice as many women as men applied for concealed carry permits.
Lott, who annually reports on this subject at the Gun Rights Policy Conference, has been tracking the growth in concealed carry for some time.
