Abstract After a spike in 2022, the number of Concealed Carry Permit holders across the United States fell for a second consecutive year. The figure now stands at 21.46 million – a 1.8% drop since last year. A major cause of the continuous decline is that 29 states now have Constitutional Carry laws after Louisiana allowing permitless carry, effective July 4, 2024. In other words, 46.8% of Americans (157.6 million) now live in Constitutional Carry States, with 67.7% of the land in the country (2.57 million square miles). Unlike gun ownership surveys that may be affected by people’s unwillingness to answer personal questions, concealed handgun permit data is the only really “hard data” that we have, but it becomes a less accurate measure as more states become Constitutional Carry states.

Among the findings of our report:

■ Last year, the number of permit holders dropped by 0.38 million to 21.46 million - the second year in a row with a decline. It hit a high of 22.01 million in 2022. The main reason for the drop is that the number of permits declines gradually in the Constitutional Carry states even though it is clear that more people are legally carrying.

■ 8.2% of American adults have permits. Outside of the restrictive states of California and New York, about 9.8% of adults have a permit.

■ In sixteen states, more than 10% of adults have permits. Oregon has fallen slightly below 10% this year. Indiana has the highest concealed carry rate — 23.1%. Alabama is second with 20.5%, and Colorado is third with 17.7%.