More Americans than ever are carrying concealed handguns, according to new survey data released by the Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC).
The latest poll, conducted by McLaughlin & Associates for the CPRC, found that 30.9% of likely general election voters now say they carry a concealed handgun at least occasionally. That’s up from 29.8% in May 2026 and 24.3% in December 2024, continuing a noticeable upward trend over the past year and a half.
In other words, nearly one in three likely voters now reports carrying a concealed firearm at least some of the time.
More People Are Carrying More Often
The survey found that not only are more people carrying, but they’re doing it more frequently. According to the CPRC:
- 15.7% carry all or most of the time.
- 15.2% carry sometimes or rarely.
- Combined, 30.9% say they carry at least occasionally.
Those who carry all or most of the time have also increased over the past 18 months, rising from 13.0% in late 2024 to 15.7% today.
The biggest jump came among people who said they sometimes carry, while the number of respondents who said they always carry also climbed.
What That Means in the Real World
One of the more interesting parts of the report isn’t just the percentages. It’s what those numbers could mean in public places.
CPRC President Dr. John Lott calculated the odds that at least one adult in a group is armed in locations where concealed carry is legal.
Using the survey data, he argues that as the number of adults in a location increases, so does the likelihood that someone nearby is legally carrying a concealed handgun.
Of course, Lott notes there are exceptions. A gun-rights convention or a gun-control rally, for example, wouldn’t necessarily reflect average national carrying rates.
Constitutional Carry Doesn’t Mean No Permits
One finding may surprise some readers. Even in Constitutional Carry states, 68.9% of people who carry all or most of the time still have a concealed carry permit.
Among people who carry less frequently, about half reported having permits. That suggests many gun owners continue obtaining permits even when state law no longer requires one.
SEE ALSO: FBI Murder Data Reveals Who Commits Homicides, Who Victims Are
The Demographics Might Surprise You
Some of the survey’s biggest surprises came when researchers broke down who carries.
According to the CPRC:
- Hispanic and Black voters reported carrying all or most of the time at significantly higher rates than White or Asian voters (“Hispanics and Blacks are 2.6 times more likely than Whites to do so.”).
- Adults between 18 and 40 were dramatically more likely to carry than those over age 65.
- Women are nearly as likely to carry as men, with 29.7% of women reporting they carry at least rarely, compared to 32.2% of men.
Perhaps the biggest eyebrow-raiser involved political ideology.
Republicans were more likely than Democrats to report carrying all or most of the time. But when respondents identified themselves by ideology instead of political party, those describing themselves as very liberal reported the highest rate of carrying all or most of the time. Higher even than respondents identifying as very conservative.
Moderates reported the lowest carrying rates in the survey.
Wealth Also Played a Major Role
The strongest relationship the survey found wasn’t political. It was financial.
According to the CPRC, 62.9% of wealthy respondents reported carrying all or most of the time, more than double the rate reported by upper-middle-class voters and far above every other income group.
As household wealth increased, so did the likelihood that respondents reported regularly carrying a concealed handgun.
The Trend Continues
Whether driven by personal safety concerns, changing state laws, or growing acceptance of concealed carry, the CPRC says one thing is becoming increasingly clear:
More Americans are choosing to carry concealed handguns than they were just a few years ago.
If the trend continues, concealed carry could become even more commonplace across much of the country, particularly as additional states continue adopting permitless carry laws.
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