Gun control advocates are losing the public-carry culture war. Seventy percent of gun owners now report at least “some circumstances in which they carry a handgun for self-defense,” up from 56% in the original survey.
That doesn’t necessarily reflect public carry, since some may carry only on private property. Still, the new report estimates that 33.6 million Americans are “public carriers” — that is, they have a concealed carry permit and carry for self-defense “at least sometimes.” That’s a remarkable 60% increase in five years.
What could possibly explain this?
The original survey ran from Feb. 17 to March 23, 2021. Much has changed in the public-carry landscape over the last five years.
Since July 1, 2021, 12 states with over 117 million people have enacted permitless carry laws, making it easier for law-abiding gun owners to arm themselves in public. Montana’s law took effect during the original survey. The Supreme Court’s 2022 decision in “New York State Rifle & Pistol Association” also opened the door for tens of millions of Americans to finally engage in some manner of public carry, even if the 10 states whose public carry laws were implicated still make it incredibly difficult, expensive and time-consuming to get a concealed carry permit.
This increased access to public carry, combined with historically unprecedented violent crime spikes, seems to have facilitated something of a nationwide “come to Jesus” moment about the importance of armed self-defense in public spaces. And it’s fundamentally changing societal perceptions regarding the right to bear arms and not in the direction that gun control activists favor.
— Amy Swearer in Gun control activists demanded better data. What they got surprised the heck out of them
I suspect COVID lies helped reduce trust in government know-it-alls.
Supreme Court Sets Dec. 2 Arguments in AR-15 Ban Cases as DOJ Backs Gun Owners.
ht* tps://www.ammoland.com/2026/09/supreme-court-december-2-ar-15-ban-arguments/
I said this before and i’ll say it again.
It takes about every 30 years or so, to have major american cities burned to the ground. And at the same time, having the police ordered to stand down. And do nothing. While mobs were allowed to destroy and murder.
While police chiefs anounced, the police could not help the public, during the rioting.
A mob is “a weapon of the government”. When the government refuses to interviene. Destroying the resources of your political enemies was the goal in 2020 and 2021.
Once in the 60s/70s, once in the 2010s, is hardly a pattern.
I dunno, Felix, seems to me you missed a few.
NYC Blackout Riot, Rodney King Riot, BLM Summer of Love, etc.
Yeah, seems to me you missed a few.
Our media sthould start identifying whether a gun used in a crime is legal or not. Without this knowledge, readers are prone to lump all guns into the dangerous category leading to support for increased gun control. Illegal guns are not subject to gun control only legal guns are so affected.
“Our media sthould start identifying whether a gun used in a crime is legal or not.”
What???
The ONLY ‘illegal’ gun is one that was stolen, full stop.
Laws requiring gun registration are unconstitutional, *period*. ALL guns not stolen are legal guns…
Pretty sure that was Tom’s point.
The Swiss have almost every male as part of their citizen army, and each of them has a military rifle with high-capacity magazines in their homes. They also have one of the lowest crime rates. Note also that much of the existing crime there is by non-native born residents. The Fact that ~52% of the crime in the U.S. occurs in about 2% of the country is forgotten by the liberal press. Many parts of the country have not had a murder in years, but that never make the news.
In truth, people are beginning to realize that the goal of the liberal left’s push for gun control was never about stopping crime, but to control everyday citizens. There are always those who would subjugate others, and disarming everyone just makes it easier to do that.
I think they need to bring back the draft. Females excluded. That will stop the democrats from future support for wars. Republicans too.