Violent Crime Drops As Concealed Carry Numbers Increase

By Cam Edwards

AP Photo/AJ Mast, File

We learned from the FBI this week that violent crime and homicides declined in 2018. Now a new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows while crime is down, the number of Americans who possess a concealed carry license is growing. In fact, the number of concealed carry license holders grew by 1.4 million people to 18.66 million, and at this pace, will eclipse 20-million concealed carry holders in 2020. The new report notes that the rise in concealed carry licenses comes even as several more states have become “Constitutional Carry” states, where no license is needed for legal gun owners to lawfully carry.

In thirteen states, more than 10% of adults have permits, down from just fifteen last year. The three states that now fell below 10% are now all Constitutional Carry states – Arkansas, Oklahoma, and West Virginia, where people no longer need a permit to carry in their states. South Carolina was the one state that had been below 10% that was now above it.

According to the Crime Prevention Research Center, the state with the largest percentage of concealed carry holders is Alabama, where more than <a target="_blank" href="https://www.wkrg.com/local-news/more-than-a-quarter-of-alabamians-have-permits-to-carry-firearms/" …Read the Rest

Source:: Bearing Arms