Study: Concealed Handgun Permits Soared 250 Percent Under Obama

The number of concealed handgun permits issued in the United States increased by more than 250 percent since 2007 and numbered more than 16.36 million at the end of 2016.

The Crime Prevention Research Center released the data this week and found that 1.83 million new permits were issued last year, the highest yearly increase in history.

Other notable numbers in the data:

• Since 2007, the number of concealed handgun permits has increased by 256 percent.
• 6.53 percent of U.S. adults hold concealed handgun permits. Subtracting data from California and New York, which have strict gun laws, that number jumps to roughly 8 percent.
• 20 percent of Alabama residents have a concealed handgun permit, the highest in the country.
• Pennsylvania's Potter County boasts a rate of 50.3 percent.
• Three states — Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas — each have more than 1.2 million concealed handgun permit holders.

The Washington Examiner reports the increase in concealed handgun permits has resulted in gains in the gun and gun accessory industries.

Another recent study, meanwhile, concluded that millennials — Americans aged 18 to 29 — are more likely to own guns for sport shooting. The same study found that 27 percent of people in that age bracket own a gun.

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