October 7, 2020
A new report shows the number of concealed carry permit applications is rising, even despite some states limiting Second Amendment rights during recent pandemic shutdowns. The number of permit holders for concealed firearms is nearly 20 million, according to a Washington Examiner report[1].
Since 1999, the number of concealed handgun permit holders has grown by at least seven-fold. The trend is continuing. That follows news that background checks for firearm sales topped 15.4 million so far this year, surpassing 2019’s totals and poised to eclipse the 2016 record of 15.7 million background checks in a single year. Forty percent of those buyers, almost 6.2 million[2], are first time buyers.
Twenty Year Trend
Record-setting gun sales has been the story of 2020. The surge in sales has also revealed a diversifying gun-owning population in America, with women and minorities comprising large percentages of buyers. Firearm retailer survey data[3] show handgun purchases were by far the most common among buyers, and reasons of personal protection drove sales across all categories of firearms.
“I’ve seen a lot more single moms that are scared and need something to protect them,” said[4] Dave Amon of Gunstop of Minnetonka, Minn. “They’re scared when people talk about defunding the police.”
This isn’t surprising given rioting, looting and violence on nightly news. Add to this backdrop criminals being released from jails and growing calls to “defund the police” and Americans are remedying their legitimate concerns by taking responsibility for their own safety.
The trend of an increasingly diverse gun buyer is mirrored in those obtaining concealed carry permits. “Permits for women and minorities continue to increase at a much faster rate than for either men or whites,” said[5]
