(p. A17) A new report from the Crime Prevention Research Center shows that there are now more than 16.3 million concealed handgun permits in the U.S., up 1.83 million since last July. Far more people carry guns today than in 2007, when there were only 4.6 million permits.
. . .
Women are largely fueling the increase. Among the eight states that had data from 2012-16, permits for men grew by 22% and permits for women soared by 93%.
. . .
My research has demonstrated that the two groups that benefit the most from carrying guns are the likeliest victims of crime (poor blacks in high-crime urban areas) and people who are physically weaker (women and the elderly). Dozens of published peer-reviewed studies find similar results.
For the full commentary, see:
John R. Lott Jr. “Women and Minorities Bear Arms.” The Wall Street Journal (Thursday, July 20, 2017): A17.
(Note: ellipses added.)
(Note: the online version of the commentary has the date July 19, 2017.)