Turns out that 20% of the adult population has a CCW in AL. Indiana was next with permits.

By the numbers

In 2016, concealed weapons permit numbers rose by 1.83 million to 16.3 million holders nationwide. That’s a 256 percent increase in the 2007 numbers.

Alabama has the highest rate nationally, 20 percent of the adult population in Alabama have permits. Indiana is second with 15.8 percent.
In 2016 women made up 36 percent of permit holders in the 14 states that provide data by sex.

Nationally, 6.53 percent of adults have permits. Outside the more restrictive states of California and New York, about 8 percent of the adult population have permits.

There are 14 states that have permit less or “constitutional” carry where adults are not required to have permits.

In Alabama the local sheriff is responsible for issuing concealed weapons permits. You must have a permit in Alabama to carry a concealed handgun on your person or in your vehicle.


An added benefit: No call to the ATF when you go to get your weapon from your FFL.

RMD

No idea where MS is on the % of carriers, but if you have the concealed permit, you don't have to wait on that stoopid ATF call to get your gun at the FFL either. Nice perk.

I got my Alabama CCW in 1973 via the County Sheriff, and renewed it ever 2 years if I remember correctly.

quote:

Originally posted by slabsides45:
No idea where MS is on the % of carriers, but if you have the concealed permit, you don't have to wait on that stoopid ATF call to get your gun at the FFL either. Nice perk.

Same as TX was.

Of course here I have to wait 12 stoopid months of residency to be eligible in spite of having a permit in AL or TX continuously since ~1998.

There was a move afoot as recent as last year to get rid of the CCW permit in AL, because practically all of them are slush funds for the county sheriff. Another pitfall was if the sitting sheriff didn't like you or was just a jerk, chances are you couldn't get one. Same with SBR and suppressors. There were a few lawsuits about "personality conflicts" and such, being unconstitutional. As long as there was no other legal reason to prevent issuance, then no problem, right? The latest push was to standardize rates. Some counties are as low as $10 per year or as high as $30 per year, unless these rates have changed. My home county is $20 per year, with an option to pay for up to five years at one time. I would like to see the permit fee control taken from the local sheriff and put into a state program for weapons / self-protection education, much like the AL Department of Conservation does with hunting permit fees and hunter education. JMHO.

I'm surprised the rate isn't higher than 20 percent. I've always thought it would be more like 40 - 50 percent in Alabama. I personally know only a few people who don't have permits and all of them are still gun owners.

Link to Alabama article.
//www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/story/news/2017/11/04/alabama-leads-nation-concealed-weapons-permits/825002001

Link to Permit numbers and percent-of-population by state.
//www.gunstocarry.com/concealed-carry-statistics

Wow, Michigan is just under 8%. Come on Michigan, we can do better than that! I see that we are also near the top in fees too. That is no surprise.
Rod