How law abiding are concealed carry permit holders?

According to a recent study by Crime Prevention Research Center, permit holders are extremely law abiding. In fact, they’re some of the most law abiding in the country.

The organization released the 61-page study on July 18 that includes numerous topics, such as the increase in concealed carry permits, the expansion in gender and race of permit holders, deterring crime, and more. It also has a breakdown of permits and permit fees by state. But a key feature presented in several pages involves detailing permit holders and their criminal records — or lack thereof.

By the numbers

The section being named “Permit Holders are Extremely Law-abiding” really says it all, but let’s dig a little deeper. The study has a state-by-state breakdown from 2016 of the revocation rates for 16.3 million permit holders. Below is a list of percentages for revocation for the 14 states that presented data. Permits were revoked for any number of reasons, including a person moving out of state, traffic violations, forgetting to have their permit with them or being charged with or convicted of a violent misdemeanor or felony.

Colorado                                 0.11 percent

Kentucky                                0.20 percent

Louisiana                               0.11 percent

Maine                                     0.029 percent

Michigan*                              0.11 percent

Minnesota                              0.01 percent

North Carolina                      0.15 percent

Ohio                                        0.11 percent

Oklahoma                              0.02 percent

Tennessee**                          0.07 percent

Texas                                      0.08 percent

Utah***                                 0.03 percent

Virginia                                 0.13 percent

Wisconsin                             0.19 percent

*Revocations for non-traffic violations

**Revocations for felony convictions

***Revocations for reasons other than errors with fingerprints

The one commonality you’ll find is that regardless of reason for revocation, each rate is incredibly low.

Welcome the new permit holders

Expansions in gender and race for permit holders have been seen over the last five years. Arizona, Connecticut, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Tennessee, Texas and Washington combine for about 4 million permit holders. Of those, 36 percent are woman. Data comparing the growth of woman becoming permit holders over the last five years is listed below for 11 of the states:

Arizona: 20.7 percent (2012), 21.2 percent (2016), 21.9 percent (2017)

Connecticut: 24.3 percent (2012), 33.3 percent (2016)

Florida: 18 percent (2012), 24.1 percent (2016)

Indiana: 18 percent (2012), 23.9 percent (2016), 26.1 percent (2017)

Louisiana: 18.3 percent (2009), 24.1 percent (2016)

North Carolina: 21.3 percent (2012), 27.5 percent (2016), 28.7 percent (2017)

North Dakota: 11.2 percent (2010), 24.9 percent (2014)

Oklahoma: 28.9 percent (2012), 36.3 percent (2016)

Tennessee: 25.9 percent (2012), 34.3 percent (2016)

Texas: 22 percent (2012), 28 percent (2016)

Washington: Between 2005 and 2014, “the growth rate for women getting new permits [was] twice as fast as that of men.” Exact percentages are unknown, but women hold 25.2 percent of permits in 2017.

For the eight states that provided data in 2012 and 2016, permits increased by 93 percent for women and 22 percent for men.

Arizona, Connecticut, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas provided data for increased percentages for African-Americans. The study reports that though the average black population in these states is 17 percent, blacks account for 11 percent of permit holders. Arizona, Connecticut, North Carolina, Oklahoma and Texas also reported permits grew at a 30 percent faster rate for blacks than whites from 2012 to 2016.

A large growth in concealed carry for African-Americans, Asian-Americans and American Indians came after Texas reduced its minimum training hours from 10 to four in 2012. While black permit holders grew 71 percent four years prior to the reduction of hours, it grew by nearly 140 percent from 2012 to 2016. The growth rate of American Indians also doubled when training hours were reduced.

How About Overall Permit Numbers?

The eight years of the Obama Administration were a popular time to get a concealed carry permit. To put a figure on it, there were 16.36 million permits nationwide, which was a 256 percent increase from 2007. That growth rate continues to rise.

Here are some quick hits:

*Permit holders grew in 2016 by a record 1.83 million. The previous record, 1.73 million, was set the year prior. Each of the last four years has set a record for permit growth.

*6.53 percent of American adults have permits. Outside California and New York, about 8 percent of adults have a permit.

*Alabama has the highest rate of permit ownership — 20 percent. Indiana is second with 15.8 percent.

*Five counties in Pennsylvania have between 30 and 51 percent of their adult population with permits: Potter (50.3 percent), McKean (34.6 percent), Warren (34.6 percent), Cameron (31.3 percent) and Armstrong (30.1 percent).

*Permit holders in Florida and Texas are convicted of misdemeanors and felonies at one-sixth the rate of police officers are convicted.

Featured image: iStock