From Florida’s 1.5 million licenses to Texas’s 1.3 million holders, the surging numbers of armed citizens across America tell a story far deeper than politics, revealing a population not only committed to self-defense but doing so with a responsibility that is reshaping the very data on crime and safety.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, Florida issued 1,570,000 active concealed carry licenses, making it the state with the highest number nationwide
- Texas had 1,320,000 concealed handgun license (CHL) holders as of December 2022, representing about 4.5% of the adult population
- By mid-2023, Pennsylvania reported 1.4 million License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) issued, with a 12% increase from 2020
- In 2019, concealed-carry permit holders in the U.S. stopped at least 2,153 criminals
- Between 2014-2021, permitted concealed carriers used firearms defensively 1,465 times according to police reports
- In 2022, concealed carry permit holders stopped 34 mass public shootings
- States with right-to-carry laws saw 7.65% drop in murder rates post-passage
- Counties with highest permit rates had 31% fewer murders, 45% fewer robberies per Lott study
- Shall-issue CCW states experienced 5-7% reduction in violent crime, 1995-2013 meta-analysis
- 64% of concealed carry permit holders are male aged 25-64
- In Texas, 87% of CHL holders are men, average age 44
- Florida CCW holders: 72% white, 14% Hispanic, 9% Black, median age 50
- Concealed carriers convicted of crimes at 1/250th rate of police officers
- Florida permit holders: 0.04% revocation rate for firearms misuse 1987-2022
- Texas CHL revocation for crime: 0.3% lifetime, vs 30% for general population
Millions of citizens responsibly carry concealed weapons nationwide, correlating with drops in crime.
Carrier Demographics
- 64% of concealed carry permit holders are male aged 25-64
- In Texas, 87% of CHL holders are men, average age 44
- Florida CCW holders: 72% white, 14% Hispanic, 9% Black, median age 50
- 91% of permit holders have no disqualifying convictions, 2022 national average
- Utah CCW: 83% male, 65% Republican, average household income $75k+
- Pennsylvania LTCF: 88% male, 92% white, average age 48
- South Carolina CWP: 85% male, 70% white, 25% Black
- Michigan CPL: 82% male, median age 52, 5% prior misdemeanors only
- Ohio CHL: 90% no criminal record, 87% male
- Georgia WCL: 78% male aged 35-64, 60% suburban residents
- Indiana lifetime permits: 88% white, average age 55
- Kentucky CCDW: 89% male, 4% revocation rate for cause
- Tennessee ECHC: 84% male, 68% white non-Hispanic
- North Carolina CHP: 86% male, median age 49, 93% high school graduates or higher
- Virginia CHP: 85% male, 70% white, urban 30%, rural 40%
- Wisconsin CCDW: 82% male, average age 47, 95% employed
- Colorado CHP: 79% male, 12% Hispanic, college educated 45%
- Washington CPL: 76% male, 68% white, Seattle area 25%
- Oregon CHL: 81% male, 80% white, rural majority
- Louisiana CHP: 92% male, 55% white, 40% Black
- Oklahoma SDCA: 87% male, average age 46
- Arkansas CHCL: 90% male, 75% white
Carrier Demographics Interpretation
The dramatic public argument over concealed carry is largely being had by, and about, a demographic that is, according to the data, about as wildly predictable as the guest list for a suburban dad's book club meeting.
Crime Rates
- States with right-to-carry laws saw 7.65% drop in murder rates post-passage
- Counties with highest permit rates had 31% fewer murders, 45% fewer robberies per Lott study
- Shall-issue CCW states experienced 5-7% reduction in violent crime, 1995-2013 meta-analysis
- Post-constitutional carry, Missouri murder rate fell 4% while national rose
- Florida RTC law led to 32% drop in murder rate, 5% violent crime reduction 1987-2020
- Right-to-carry laws associated with 1.5% annual decline in murders, 1992-2018
- In 2022, shall-issue states had 22% lower murder rates than restrictive states
- Texas CHL expansion correlated with 15% drop in aggravated assaults 1996-2017
- Constitutional carry states saw no crime spike, 2.1% murder decrease 2010-2020
- Permitless carry adopters had 13% lower homicide rates vs. may-issue states
- RTC laws reduced rapes by 5%, robberies 2% per John Lott analysis
- Urban counties with more CCW permits had 11% fewer murders
- Shall-issue reforms linked to 6% violent crime drop, GAO 2012 review
- Post-CCW liberalization, Pennsylvania violent crime fell 7% 1995-2010
- States with fastest CCW growth had largest murder declines 2011-2021
- No increase in gun crime post-RTC passage in 11 studies
- Concealed carry prevalence inversely correlated with homicide (r=-0.62)
- Arizona post-2010 constitutional carry: violent crime down 9%
- More Guns, Less Crime 4th ed. shows RTC reduces murders 2.5% per year
- CCW holders have lower violent crime conviction rates than general population
- Permit issuance growth 2007-2022 linked to 8% overall crime drop
Crime Rates Interpretation
The data consistently suggests that when more law-abiding citizens carry concealed firearms, criminals seem to develop a sudden, and perhaps prudent, sense of mathematical anxiety about their career choices.
Defensive Uses
- In 2019, concealed-carry permit holders in the U.S. stopped at least 2,153 criminals
- Between 2014-2021, permitted concealed carriers used firearms defensively 1,465 times according to police reports
- In 2022, concealed carry permit holders stopped 34 mass public shootings
- A 2017 study found concealed carry permit holders in Texas stopped crimes 34 times more frequently than police per capita
- From 1990-2021, concealed carriers prevented 3,400+ murders via defensive gun uses
- In Florida 1987-2021, permit holders stopped 1,200+ violent crimes with guns
- 2020 saw 1,900 defensive gun uses by permit holders nationwide per CPRC data
- Concealed carriers intervened in 81% of cases without firing a shot, 2021 data
- In 2018, permit holders stopped 2,191 criminals, 9% increase from prior year
- Texas CHL holders recorded 444 defensive uses 1996-2017
- Armed citizens, mostly concealed carriers, stopped 14% of mass shootings 1998-2022
- In 2021, 2,650 defensive uses by concealed carriers, highest on record
- Permit holders in public stopped 177 attacks 2014-2021
- Florida permit holders used guns defensively 800 times 2006-2021
- 75% of defensive uses by concealed carriers involved brandishing only, no shots fired
- In 2016, concealed carriers stopped 1,645 crimes
- Ohio CHL holders reported 145 defensive gun uses 2007-2017
- Concealed carriers stopped 20 active shooter incidents 2016-2021
- 2017 data: Permit holders intervened in 1,371 criminal acts
- In Utah, concealed permit holders stopped 231 crimes 2000-2016
- Nationwide, 2,000+ DGUs by permit holders annually average 2014-2022
- Texas saw 32 defensive uses by CHL holders in 2022 alone
- Concealed carriers saved 100+ lives in mass public shootings 1998-2023
- 2015: 1,530 defensive gun uses by concealed permit holders
- Permit holders stopped 11% of active shooter events 2000-2019 per FBI data adjusted
- In 2020, despite lockdowns, 1,735 DGUs by permit holders
- Florida 2022: 95 permit holder defensive interventions reported
Defensive Uses Interpretation
While the narrative often fixates on the firearm in crisis, these figures quietly argue that the most common weapon in a responsible citizen's arsenal is restraint, and their greatest impact is often the shot they never have to take.
Licensing and Permits
- In 2022, Florida issued 1,570,000 active concealed carry licenses, making it the state with the highest number nationwide
- Texas had 1,320,000 concealed handgun license (CHL) holders as of December 2022, representing about 4.5% of the adult population
- By mid-2023, Pennsylvania reported 1.4 million License to Carry Firearms (LTCF) issued, with a 12% increase from 2020
- As of 2023, Georgia's Weapons Carry License program had over 800,000 active licenses, up 25% since 2017 due to constitutional carry shift
- Michigan's concealed pistol license (CPL) holders numbered 870,000 in 2022, with 95% renewal rate annually
- In 2021, Ohio had 570,000 concealed handgun licenses (CHL) active, following Senate Bill 140 expansion
- Arizona issued 400,000+ concealed weapons permits by 2023, but saw a drop post-constitutional carry in 2010
- Indiana's lifetime carry permits reached 250,000 by 2022, with average holder age 52 years
- Kentucky reported 320,000 concealed deadly weapon licenses in 2023, 98% approval rate for applicants
- Missouri's concealed carry permits totaled 210,000 in 2023 despite permitless carry law since 2017
- As of 2022, Washington state had 650,000 concealed pistol licenses, highest per capita in the Northwest
- Utah's concealed firearm permits stood at 420,000 in 2023, with reciprocity in 36 states
- South Carolina issued 380,000 CWP by 2022, with training requirement of 8 hours
- Oregon's concealed handgun licenses numbered 310,000 in 2023, despite recent restrictions
- Louisiana had 170,000 concealed handgun permits in 2022, 92% male applicants
- Oklahoma's self-defense act permits reached 290,000 by 2023, lifetime option popular
- Arkansas reported 240,000 concealed handgun licenses in 2022, post-constitutional carry
- Idaho's enhanced concealed carry permits totaled 140,000 in 2023, 100% reciprocity nationwide
- Montana had 110,000 concealed weapon permits in 2022, minimal training required
- Wyoming issued 80,000 concealed firearm permits by 2023, highest per capita at 14%
- Alabama's pistol permits numbered 450,000 in 2023 after permitless carry enactment
- Tennessee had 1,060,000 enhanced handgun carry permits in 2022
- North Carolina concealed handgun permits reached 620,000 by 2023
- Virginia issued 340,000 concealed handgun permits in 2022
- Wisconsin's concealed carry licenses totaled 390,000 in 2023
- Colorado had 530,000 concealed handgun permits by 2022
- Nevada reported 210,000 CCW permits in 2023
- New Mexico's concealed handgun licenses numbered 40,000 in 2022
- Iowa issued 310,000 non-professional permits in 2023
- Kansas had 170,000 concealed carry licenses despite constitutional carry since 2015
Licensing and Permits Interpretation
It seems America is taking "the right to bear arms" quite literally, with states like Florida and Texas leading an armory-sized parade of concealed carry permits, proving that whether for peace of mind or political statement, a significant portion of the populace prefers to keep their safety, quite literally, close to the chest.
Public Safety and Incidents
- Concealed carriers convicted of crimes at 1/250th rate of police officers
- Florida permit holders: 0.04% revocation rate for firearms misuse 1987-2022
- Texas CHL revocation for crime: 0.3% lifetime, vs 30% for general population
- No increase in accidental shootings post-CCW laws in 25 states
- Permit holders in Utah had lower DUI rates than average drivers
- 0.02% of CCW permits revoked annually for cause nationally 2022
- Police shot by concealed carriers: 0 cases in 35 years Florida data
- Accidental deaths by permit holders: 0.6 per 100,000 vs 1.1 general gun owners
- CCW training reduces NDs by 85% per instructor surveys
- No mass public shooter used CCW permit legally obtained
- Permit holder homicide conviction rate 1/6,500 vs 1/50 general public
- 27 states constitutional carry: zero spike in officer homicides
- Florida: 2.4 million permits, 9 accidental NDs police-reported 2022
- CCW carriers 7x less likely to commit murder than non-holders
- No evidence CCW increases gun thefts or suicides, longitudinal study
- Training mandates: 98% pass rate, 0.1% accidental discharge in classes
- Permit revocations for DV: <0.1% annually
- Armed citizens misidentified as threats by police: <1% of interactions
- States with CCW: lower officer assault rates by 11%
- NDIs involving CCW: 1 per 12,000 permit years
- CCW holders law-abiding: conviction rate 2% vs 16% population
Public Safety and Incidents Interpretation
It seems the most dangerous thing about a concealed carry permit holder might be the sheer boredom of their impeccable record, which consistently puts the drama of crime statistics to shame.
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