Rate of Carry Survey Launched by Crime Prevention Research Center

In a post-Bruen United States, every jurisdiction is “shall issue.” Well, we all know that’s kind of true, with there still being several issues with many of the former “may issues” regimes. The number of legal carriers will/has gone up – either via permits being accessible or permitless laws. But how many people actually carry? The Crime Prevention Research Center recently had a survey commissioned to ask that very question.

The CPRC hired McLaughlin & Associates to survey 1,000 general election voters on December 17th, 2024, regarding whether they carry concealed handguns. Not surprisingly, people in constitutional-carry states carry concealed handguns more frequently than people in right-to-carry states. While there is no difference in the rate that people carry all or most of the time in right-to-carry versus the seven states that were may-issue before Bruen, there is a large difference in the total number of general election voters who carry at least once in a while.

The report on the survey does not offer up whether or not there is a former one to compare the numbers to. However, what was learned is meaningful, nonetheless.

Looking at the data on respondents who said they do engage in carrying, 13.1% said they carry all or most of the time. 11.2% said they carry some of the time/rarely. Across the board, of the 1,000 general election voters polled, 24% “say they carry concealed handguns.”

Depending on the makeup of your particular area, that means there’s probably at least one armed civilian in your supermarket with you or other public places you might be in.

CPRC’s 2024 Concealed Carry Report we can see that the range of permit holders is from .2% up to 23.1%, with an average of 8.2%.

“While this survey doesn’t ask people if they are legally carrying, given that this is limited to people who voted in the general election, presumably they are at least somewhat more law-abiding than the general population,” the report noted. “We will do a later survey that breaks down whether people are legally carrying.”

Who’s carrying is something that was also looked into. The survey found that more Hispanics and Blacks carry over whites. And that those living in either an urban or rural setting are more apt to carry. Not surprisingly, they found more conservatives carry, but also observed that “even significant numbers of liberals carry.” Those who live in the South and Midwest are also more likely to carry over other geographical locations.

The survey actually covered a lot of ground and the Crime Prevention Research Center’s report on it is worth looking at. Their final table with demographic information breaks down the categories further, highlighting if respondents carry “often,” “rarely,” or “never.” Race, sex, and political affiliation are some of the categories respondents were questioned on self-identifying as in answering the questions.

Looking forward, some of this data is not shocking, while some if it might be. What the CPRC uncovers in future polls, especially with the rate of legal versus illegal carriers, is going to be interesting. The report on the survey gives a decent glimpse into how American gun owners conduct themselves on a regular basis.