Why Are So Many People Getting Concealed Carry Permits?

Kansas, New Hampshire, Illinois, and many other states are continually engaging in the push to loosen restrictions on people getting concealed carry permits.  And as places like the District of Columbia open up to the possibility that law abiding citizens can engage in their Second Amendment rights, there has been a swell in the number of applicants.

Concealed Carry isn’t the problem.  As states like Illinois are into their second year of becoming a “shall permit” state, law enforcement is uniformly backing the consensus that adding concealed carriers to the mix hasn’t made the deteriorating situation in places like Chicago any worse.  If anything, it at least allows law abiding citizens the opportunity to defend themselves.  Criminal activity – including the sky-rocketing violence and murder prevalent in many of the old industrial cities – certainly isn’t going away.

As States Push for CCW – Anti-Gun Advocates Push Back

The issuance of first time concealed carry permits is at an all time high for that last five years.  Even places like the District of Columbia – once an outright adamant opponent of concealed carry – is finally forced to give way to both demand and judicial oversight.  But that doesn’t mean opponents to the Second Amendment are all willing to give ground.

There are pushes to make concealed carrier’s data publicly available, forcing those who do conceal carry to volunteer private information about themselves to complete strangers.

This, in of itself, is an affront to the very concept of safety and security.  The whole point of having a concealed firearm is just that – keeping it hidden until it’s needed.  Whether you’re shopping at the mall or going for a jog – that weapon is your responsibility.

In the Midst – Many States Waiving Training Requirement

On one hand, it’s always a good thing to see more people taking on more personal responsibility for their own safety and that of their families.  On the other, states like South Carolina are dismantling their concealed carry program – which used to have a mandatory training component – in favor of constitutional carry.  Jon Sears, a South Carolinian CCW holder, wrote a pretty eloquent piece on why he thought that’s bad thing.

Constitutional carry is the perfect interpretation of the Second Amendment.  However, without any training or handling background, it also increases the risk of negligent discharge and even premature escalation of force.  The negligent discharge component of the equation is being observed.  Escalation of force is a much more difficult metric to track.

Why Are People Rushing Out to Carry?

It’s impossible to know the rationale of every man and woman who completes his or her CCW application.  What is known, 2015 is already shaping up to be a rather tumultuous year.  Riots in Baltimore and Ferguson have helped show a big snafu in the fabric of our society.  Even subtracting out the high buzz media stories – Americans are facing more uncertainty now than in a long time.

But even more important than that looming, lingering fear on the horizon is quite simply people seem to want to take more responsibility for their own lives.  While police and first responders generally have a decent response time – when a life-changing scenario is unfolding in seconds, minutes kill.

Tying it all together, though, as more concealed carriers go out there into the world without even basic firearms training – it falls upon the concealed carry community to help educate these newcomers on firearms safety, weapon maintenance, and even gun etiquette.  Whether it’s a co-worker, friend, or family member – it’s absolutely essential that newcomers to the CCW community be greeted and helped along so that if – or when – the time comes, that’s one more weapon putting rounds on target.

Have you found yourself helping a new concealed carrier learn the ropes?  Tell us about it in the comments section below.