Alabama | 755,618 est | June, 2017 |
Alaska | 9870 | March 16, 2017 |
Arizona | 325421 | December 28, 2017 |
Arkansas | 220,224 | March 14, 2017 |
California | 92,000 | December 31, 2016 |
Colorado | 388,646 | April 30, 2017 |
Connecticut | 255,502 | April 30, 2017 |
Delaware | 17,436 | March 28, 2017 |
District of Columbia | 124 | July 3, 2017 |
Florida | 1,784,395 | June 30, 2017 |
Georgia | 979,006 | May, 2017 |
Hawaii | 0 | December 31, 2016 |
Idaho | 129,312 | June 16, 2017 |
Illinois | 243,245 | May 31, 2017 |
Indiana | 799,546 | March 31, 2017 |
Iowa | 273,852 | December 31, 2016 |
Kansas | 93,092 | March 27, 2017 |
Kentucky | 311,994 | December 31, 2015 |
Louisiana | 173,881 | December 31, 2016 |
Maine | 42,000 | June 30, 2017 |
Maryland | 17,414 | March 16, 2017 |
Massachusetts | 412,369 | December, 2016 |
Michigan | 616,508 | June 2, 2017 |
Minnesota | 276,109 | July 1, 2017 |
Mississippi | 46,598 | June 21, 2016 |
Missouri | 160,184 | December 31, 2012 |
Montana | 50,050 | March 14, 2017 |
Nebraska | 55,710 | March 27, 2017 |
Nevada | 119,162 | June 1, 2017 |
New Hampshire | 89,084 | December 31, 2016 |
New Jersey | 1,212 | 2012-2013 |
New Mexico | 42,839 | March 16, 2017 |
New York | 88,205 est | June, 2017 |
North Carolina | 604,737 | May 31, 2017 |
North Dakota | 48,700 | December 31, 2016 |
Ohio | 623,000 | December 31, 2016 |
Oklahoma | 283,587 | May 8, 2017 |
Oregon | 256,943 | May 1, 2017 |
Pennsylvania | 1,275,000 | March 15, 2017 |
Rhode Island | 2,560 | March 14, 2017 |
South Carolina | 308,406 | December 31, 2016 |
South Dakota | 93,438 | May 31, 2017 |
Tennessee | 594,498 | June 2, 2017 |
Texas | 1,200,746 | May 31, 2017 |
Utah | 698,920 | March 31, 2017 |
Vermont | No permits issued | |
Virginia | 429,837 | March 14, 2017 |
Washington | 578,299 | March 15, 2017 |
West Virginia | 147,801 | February 28, 2015 |
Wisconsin | 328,907 | June 1, 2017 |
Wyoming | 31,758 | March 16, 2017 |
States With The Highest Permit Users (2018)
Image: Concealed Carry Permits by State
Map key
- 15 + %
- 10 - 15 %
- 5 - 10 %
- 2 - 5 %
- 0 - 2 %
- No permit required
Four states, Florida, Georgia, Texas, and Pennsylvania have more than a million permit holders.
Gun Ownership Notes
Statistics on concealed carry permit data cannot be considered an accurate measurement of gun ownership. There are three main reasons;
- These figures do not take into account persons who carry handguns in the 14 states that do not require a permit. People usually only obtain a permit in these states for out-of-state travel. Plus the fact no fee's or training is required probably means these states have some of the highest rates of handgun ownership.
- It is difficult to obtain data from some states. Data in New York and Alabama is not collected at the state level, it is left up to the counties or cities.
- About 687,840 of the permits are "non-residential" which can distort the figures as the holders most often have another permit in their home state.
- Some of the data is over a year old so does not take into account recent growth.
With the trend towards permitless concealed carry, it will become more difficult to obtain data on handgun ownership. It is safe to say that the figure of 17 million issued concealed carry permits is an under estimate of the total active concealed permits in the United States.
NICS Checks on Private Gun Sales
Image: Background Check Requirements by State
Map Key
States that require a background Check
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Iowa, Massachusetts, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, Nebraska, North Carolina, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Washington
Check out more CCW maps in our library.
BACKGROUND CHECKS & PRIVATE GUN SALES
There are now 18 states that require a background check for private gun sales. They have basically extended the Federal background check law to include private sales. And at least eight of these states now require background checks at the point of sale for all types of firearms. The states that have this requirement are; California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Washington, District of Columbia. Two states, Pennsylvania and Maryland limit the check to only handguns. There are four states, Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey, and Massachusetts that require any person purchasing a firearm to get a permit after a background check. And a further four states, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, and North Carolina that have the same requirement but limit it to handguns. You are also required in Illinois to have a background check when a firearm is sold at any gun show. Under Nevada law unlicensed sellers can request a background check on anyone purchasing a firearm, but it is not mandatory and left up to the discretion of the seller. Unlicensed sellers are also required by many of these jurisdictions to keep a record of any firearms sales and in some states report to law enforcement any sales of firearms.
Concealed Carry Permit Holders Crime Statistics
CCW permit holders according to the statistics are unlikely to break the law. Remember there are over 16.3 million permit holders in the US so any violations are very rare. In fact there are probably no other groups of people in the US who are as law abiding. If we compare concealed carry permit holders to the police we can see just how law abiding they really are. The Police Quarterly conducted a study that showed police committed;
- 703 crimes per year (average from 2005 - 2007)
- 113 of those crimes involved firearms violations
That may be an underestimate when you take into consideration that not every crime committed by the police gets media attention. From 2005 - 2007 there was about 685,464 full time police officers in the US. This allows us to calculate that there was;
103 crimes per hundred thousand officers.
The crime rate for the entire US population was 37 times higher;
3,813 crimes per hundred thousand people
It may be that police crimes do not get reported as much due to fellow officers staying silent. But you cannot ignore the fact that there is a big gap between the police and the general population when it comes to reported crimes. If you look at the following figures you will see that concealed carry permit holders are actually more law abiding than the police.
Florida revoked 11,189 concealed carry permits for violations such as misdemeanors or felonies between 1987 -2017. This works out an annual rate of 10.4 permits revoked per 100,000.
Texas had 148 concealed carry permit holders convicted of a misdemeanor or felony in 2016. This works out to a conviction rate of 12.3 percent per 100,000. When the Texas and Florida data is combined it shows that CCW permit holders are convicted of felonies and misdemeanors at a rate of 2.4 per 100,000. While among police the rate is 16.5 per 100,000 officers. Texas and Florida have some of the highest rates of CCW permit holders but the figures are similar in other states with less permit holders.
Concealed Carry Permit Fees
State | Permit Type | Initial Handgun Carry Permit Fee | Length Permit is Valid (years) | Cost to carry for 5 years |
---|---|---|---|---|
Alabama | Concealed handgun permit | $5-$30 per year Varies by County |
1-5 years (chosen by applicant) | $25-$130 Varies by County |
Alabama | Concealed handgun permit | $5-$30 per year Varies by County |
1-5 years (chosen by applicant) | $25-$130 Varies by County |
Alaska | Constitutional carry/permit available for reciprocity | $87 | 5 | $87 |
Arizona | Constitutional carry/permit available for reciprocity | $60.00 | 5 | $60 |
Arkansas | Constitutional carry/permit available for reciprocity | $137 $87 (age 65+) |
5 | $137 |
California | Concealed carry weapons license | $100 plus additional fees. Varies by county. | 2 | $212 |
Colorado | Concealed handgun permit | $52.50 plus additional fees | 5 | $52 |
Connecticut | State permit to carry pistols or revolvers | $70.00 | 5 | $70 |
Delaware | License to carry concealed deadly weapon | $65 | 5 | $65 |
District of Columbia | Concealed carry pistol license | $75 | 2 | $225 |
Florida | Concealed weapon or firearm license | $97 | 7 | $97 |
Georgia | Weapons carry license | $75.00 varies by county | 5 | $75 |
Hawaii | License to carry handgun | $42 | 1 | $210 |
Idaho | Concealed weapons license | $20.00 plus additional fees | 5 | $20 |
Illinois | Concealed carry license | $150 | 5 | $150 |
Indiana | License to carry handgun | $51.95 or $211.95 lifetime |
4 | $64 |
Iowa | Permit to carry weapons | $50.00 | 5 | $50 |
Kansas | Constitutional carry/Concealed carry handgun license available for reciprocity | $132.50 | 4 | $165 |
Kentucky | Carry concealed deadly weapon license | $60.00 | 5 | $60 |
Louisiana | Concealed handgun permit | $125.00 or $500 lifetime | 5 | $125 |
Maine | Constitutional carry/Concealed handgun permit available for reciprocity. | $35 | 4 | $43 |
Maryland | Handgun wear and carry permit | $75.00 plus fingerprint fees | 3 | $125 |
Massachusetts | License to carry firearms | $100 | 6 | $100 |
Michigan | Concealed pistol license | $115 | 4 | $143 |
Minnesota | Permit to carry pistol | $100 varies by county | 5 | $100 |
Mississippi | Constitutional carry/Firearms permit available for reciprocity | $112 | 5 | $112 |
Missouri | Concealed carry permit | $100 | 5 | $100 |
Montana | Concealed carry handgun permit | $60 | 4 | $75 |
Nebraska | Concealed handgun permit | $100 | 5 | $100 |
Nevada | Concealed firearm permit | $96.25 | 5 | $96 |
New Hampshire | Constitutional carry/Pistol & Revolver License available for reciprocity | $10 resident $100 non-resident |
4 | $12 |
New Jersey | Permit to carry a handgun | $50 plus additional fees | 2 | $250 |
New Mexico | Concealed handgun license | $100 | 4 | $125 |
New York | Pistol & revolver license | $20 varies by county | 5 | $20 |
New York City | Handgun license | $340 plus additional fees | 3 | $566 |
North Carolina | Concealed handgun permit | $80 plus additional fees | 5 | $80 |
North Dakota | Constitutional carry/Concealed weapons license available for reciprocity | $60 | 5 | $60 |
Ohio | License to carry a concealed handgun | $67 | 5 | $67 |
Oklahoma | Self defense act license | $100 or $200 for 10 years | 5 | $100 |
Oregon | Concealed handgun license | $65 | 4 | $81 |
Pennsylvania | License to carry firearms | $20 | 5 | $20 |
Rhode Island | License to carry a concealable weapon | $40 | 4 | $50 |
South Carolina | Concealed weapon permit | $50 | 5 | $50 |
South Dakota | Concealed Pistol Permit | $10 or $70 Gold card and $100 enhanced | 5 | $10 |
Tennessee | Handgun carry permit | $100 or Lifetime $300 | 8 | $62 |
Texas | License to carry a handgun | $40 | 5 | $40 |
Utah | Concealed Firearm Permit | $39 | 5 | $39 |
Vermont | NO PERMITS REQUIRED/has never issued permits | N/A | N/A | 0 |
Virginia | Concealed handgun permit | $50.00 | 5 | $50 |
Washington | Concealed pistol license | $36 | 5 | $36 |
West Virginia | Constitutional carry/Concealed pistol & revolver license available for reciprocity | $75 plus additional fee of $25 if approved | 5 | $100 |
Wisconsin | Concealed weapon license | $40 | 5 | $40 |
Wyoming | Constitutional carry/Concealed firearm permits available for reciprocity | $64 | 5 | $64 |