According to a recent report by the Crime Prevention Research Center, the number of concealed carry permits issues in the U.S. has jumped from 4.6 million to 12.8 million since President Obama took office. Yet, the number of murders across the country has fallen. The report reveals that since 2007, the murder rate has dropped about 25 percent, from 5.6 per 100,000 people to 4.2.
Not only has the amount of concealed handgun permits increased, the number is rising year by year. Between 2013 and 2014, more than 1.7 million new concealed carry permits were issued, a 15.4 percent jump over permits issued from 2012 to 2013. Some say these statistics prove that most people own firearms for protection, not to commit crimes.1
However, a report by the Violence Policy Center finds that concealed handguns were involved in 561 incidents across the country that resulted in 743 deaths, with 259 of those incidents being ruled as self-defense.2 The center reported that the ratio of criminal homicide to justified homicide is at only 38 to 1, meaning that for every 38 murders, only 1 is deemed justifiable homicide.
California Homicide Statistics
In California, murder rates have significantly dropped along with the rest of the country. Between 2007 and 2014, the number of homicide crimes involving handguns dropped from 1,619 to 763.3 The number of individuals obtaining concealed handgun permits has also followed the national trend upwards, possibly as a result of several counties dropping the “good cause” standard that required persons to demonstrate a special need before they could obtain a permit. About 70,000 people in California have concealed carry permits.4
The jump in permit applications may be attributed to social unrest, caused in no small part by the riots that have occurred across the country. Interestingly, the number of women and minorities seeking concealed carry permits has jumped significantly since 2007. In fact, concealed carry permits have increased by 270 percent for women while permits for men have increased by only 156 percent.
While the number of homicides in California and across the country continues to decrease, guns are still being used in large part in criminal ways.
Share Your Feedback With Us
We at Wallin & Klarich would like to hear from you about this topic. Do you feel that homicide rates across the country have fallen because more people are arming themselves? Do you feel that most people who carry a concealed weapon do so for safety? Why do you think more women and minorities are applying for concealed carry permits? Please feel free to leave your comments below.
1. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jul/14/murder-rates-drop-as-concealed-carry-permits-soar-/?page=all ]↩
2. [http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2015/jun/17/gun-control-group-hopes-study-will-convince-lawmak/ ]↩
3. [http://oag.ca.gov/sites/all/files/agweb/pdfs/cjsc/publications/homicide/hm14/hm14.pdf]↩
4. [https://www.revealnews.org/article/concealed-weapons-of-california-the-numbers/]↩
