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Packing Protection – Record Concealed Carry Permitted Holders In Florida
Bottom Line: A record 2.5 million Floridians now have a concealed carry permit. That’s a figure that easily leads the country and has risen by around 300,000 in the last year alone. For perspective, there are 17.2 million adults over the age of 21, and thus eligible to carry in Florida. That means 15% of Floridians who can conceal carry, do. While Florida’s long been the national leader in people packing heat for personal protection, more gun owners across the country are now doing so in the name of security.
According to Gallup, 44% of households now own at least one gun. That’s up 3% from a few years ago. Additionally, a record number of gun owners, 88%, now primarily posses a firearm for security. That figure is 21% higher than the previous documented high by Gallup. There’s no question but that the rise in violence, rioting and the defund police movement have been major catalysts for people taking additional steps to provide for their own protection. None more so than right here in Florida. There’s also another instructive point. As I reported on in June...
Florida’s annual Uniform Crime Report was recently released and the news continued the trend of lower crime – including in South Florida. Crime in Florida declined by 14%, or greater than 70,000 crimes, in the 2020 report. Total reported crimes in Florida have declined annually since 2008 and overall arrests are at a 50-year low. That includes improvement all throughout South Florida. These are meaningful improvements overall, but especially when Florida’s rising population is considered.
Right, so record gun ownership, including record concealed carry permits in our state, has continued to result in significantly less crime. While the 88% of gun owners who primarily posses for personal protection hope to never need to use the weapon for self-protection, what’s clear is that as gun ownership rises the opportunity for crimes are declining.