While the battle for gun rights continues as strongly as ever at both the federal and state levels, gun-rights advocates are edging ahead in both practice and perception, according to recent polling.
The Crime Prevention Research Center (CPRC) recently partnered with the polling firm McLaughlin & Associates, and their efforts revealed that Americans are significantly more likely to support and exercise their Second Amendment rights now than they were just 18 months ago. At the same time, they are less likely to support increased gun control restrictions pushed by anti-gun activists.
Concealed carry is up nearly six points in 18 months
First, let’s look at the increase in practice. According to the responses, the percent of Americans carrying a firearm for self-defense jumped from 24.3 percent in December 2024 to 29.8 percent in May 2026. Breaking it down a little more, the poll report stated: “13.2% carry all/most of the time, with another 16.6% carrying sometimes/rarely. The percent who carry all or most the time is virtually the same as the percent who carried similarly in December 2024. But the percent who carry at least some of the time or rarely has increased by 5.4 percentage points (from 11.2% to 16.6%).”
That’s a pretty significant increase. Especially considering anti-gun states continue to pass or defend in court new laws aimed at reducing the opportunity to legally carry. The trend tracks with the broader expansion of concealed carry licensing nationally, where there are now over 21.46 million adult permit-holders in the United States — with women, Asians, and African-Americans representing the fastest-growing demographic segments.
63 percent of voters want criminals prosecuted, not more gun laws
Now, for the perception. One of the most significant results dealing with how people look at gun control was the response on a question dealing with what, including additional gun control laws, would make Americans safer.
“Independent voters are more aligned with enforcement-focused crime policies than additional gun-control legislation,” the polling summary states. The data showed that more than 63% of survey respondents agreed that enforcing existing laws and arresting and prosecuting criminals would do the most to reduce crime, compared with less than 30% who believe passing additional gun control laws would help.
NSSF: 26.2 million new gun owners since 2020 changed the political landscape
That new reality tracks with what the National Shooting Sports Foundation and its membership has seen over the past few years.
“Since 2020, there have been more than 26.2 million new first-time gun owners, those who previously may have opposed gun rights but were driven to lawful gun ownership due to surges in crime in cities where ‘defund the police’ budget cuts were implemented and soft-on-criminal George Soros-funded prosecutors came into office,” NSSF executive vice president and general counsel Lawrence G. Keane wrote in a report on the new survey. “Those two policies largely backfired as innocent law-abiding Americans turned instead to exercising their Second Amendment rights — many of whom were politically independent, or even Democrats.”
This shift has been visible across the political spectrum. As CNN itself was surprised to discover earlier this year, new firearm owners are heavily liberal, female, and minority — a demographic profile gun-control activists have been pretending doesn’t exist for years.
Women are voting with their wallets — and they’re not buying what gun-control groups are selling
According to NSSF, the other “main takeaway” from the new polling data is that gun control groups often ignore that women are much more persuadable on gun rights, or even open to gun ownership, than these activist groups tend to believe.
“Only 18% of women view additional gun control laws as the primary solution to public safety concerns,” the polling report stated. “At the same time, women continue to represent one of the fastest-growing segments of new firearm owners and concealed carry permit holders nationwide. Increasing numbers of women view firearm ownership as a practical means of personal protection rather than a political statement.”
That tracks with NSSF’s 2024 First-Time Gun Buyers Report data, which found women comprised nearly three-quarters (70.5%) of first-time gun buyers sampled — a dramatic increase from 47.1% in 2020.
Good news for gun owners — but we can’t declare victory
Ultimately, the new poll is good news for gun owners and gun-rights groups. But, as NSSF pointed out, that doesn’t mean we can declare victory and close up shop.
Pro-Second Amendment groups cannot rest on their laurels or take anything for granted and need to remain engaged to keep voters educated and activated on these critical issues. But with historically low crime and historically high and diverse gun ownership, Americans might be seriously reconsidering their beliefs around firearms, gun ownership, and community safety.
Tumbles? I want to see Gun Control the History Confirmed best pal Racism, Slavery and Genocide ever had…Dead and Buried.
There is nobody alive now that hasn’t seen the news reports of the not-zee thugs of the dems attacking people on the streets because of the victims race and idealogy.
Charlie Kirk was murdered for simply speaking. Only a fool would go unarmed in these times.
There is a glimmer of hope. Some antifa SS members have drawn real prison time for their thuggish ways.
Well, there shouldn’t be anyone alive who doesn’t know.
But then I ask myself what percentage of people know that FLOCK camera setups also contain the gear to track phone data from any car passing by in which the occupants have a cell phone.
Oh, and contrary to FLOCK’s public claims, based on several investigations, insider information and their own ToS, that data is up for sale to be cross referenced with every other database out there.
Now, shut up and pay your taxes so that FLOCK can install MOAR of their profitable panopticon.
BuT mUh VpN!
Probably 10 times higher with Constitutional Carry states.
After Bruen, California (among pothers) enacted a vampire law that made it hardly worthwhile to go through the time (16 hours) and expense of obtaining a 2-year ccw, because there was hardly any place where concealed carry was permitted. Now with the death of that law, it may be worth it. There are many in my county who have ccws, but this is a pretty safe little berg, and one hardly ever hears of a carrier using it to defend himself or others. It is a lot different when one lives in a city.
30% want more gun laws instead of more criminal prosecutions?
I’m sorry, I’m not seeing the W in that.
For a historical perspective, let us consider that organized minorities will wipe the floor with disorganized majorities nearly every time.
0.15% to 0.3% of Russians were Bolshies, how’d that work out for the other 99%?
bUt dA cOurT caSeZ! Normalcy bias, much?
Using a rainbow flag and pronouns 1% of trans forced the left wing to be submissive to them then overran them then started feeding their children dangerous drugs and butchering them.
Not really, the Left was already 99% (lulz) on board before that even started.
“In short, the Communists everywhere support every revolutionary movement against the existing social and political order of things.”
-The Communist Manifest, Chapter IV, English translation
Using a rainbow flag and pronouns 1% of trans forced the left wing to be submissive to them then overran them then started feeding their children dangerous drugs and butchering them..
I was raised around guns. My mom and dad were avid gun owners and expert shooters. When I was a kid, my Mom ran some free training courses teaching women how to use and shoot guns. I would help out.
Back then where we lived, if you were not white it was almost impossible to get a gun legally because there was still a old law on the books (in the county) that said it was illegal to sell a gun, basically, to someone who wasn’t white… so it was illegal to sell a gun to a black or Hispanic person, although portions of the law about these possessing guns had already been repealed and this one was in the process of being repealed but it had not happened yet. The county sheriff enforced it too. The sheriff was full of his version of his own self-created ‘authority’ and he loved to focus it on black and Hispanic people. The sheriff wasn’t really liked by many people, even white people in the area didn’t like him, but he had his crony supporters and kept getting re-elected – he was a racist democrat voting POS that was part of the democrats hold on the county.
So anyway, my Mom ran this course. She would provide the guns if the ladies didn’t have them and when the course was over they could choose to buy the gun they used. My mom had a deal with a local gun store, really a hardware store with a gun shop area, to supply the guns on loan (they were used guns but in great shape) and if someone bought the gun after the course was over the gun would be sold to them, really by the gun store and not my mom.
It was white women taking the course and Black or Hispanic women had never shown up to ask about the course, until one day this black lady showed up to inquire about the course. Mom told her, basically, while describing the course ‘sure, I’ll put you in a class I have starting tomorrow morning’. So tomorrow morning comes, the white ladies showed up and along comes that black lady but shes got a few others with her black and Hispanic. Mom tells her, sure, they are welcome too. So the class starts, progressing nicely, a little break and its time to go outside to the range area to put to use the lessons of basics section they had just learned in class. I show up to watch and help out. After a practice round, they are doing pretty good and everyone is putting all the shots in the 10 inch circle 10 yards away.
So here are these ladies on the firing line with loaded handguns, and up rolls the sheriff and some deputies. A patrol going by had seen this group of black and Hispanic ladies arrive.
So the sheriff tells my mom she can’t have these black and Hispanic women in her classes, and even threatens to arrest her if she doesn’t stop it. My mom refuses, and basically tells him to kiss her a** and leave and stands strong and defiant. Then he threatens to arrest the black and Hispanic ladies and he and his deputies start moving forward. Anyway, at this point suddenly the sheriff and deputies realize the position they are in and freeze …. here are a dozen women, collectively white and black and Hispanic, armed with guns suddenly giving him a “I dare you’ ‘warning danger’ look and stance that would probably make even the most hardcore combat veteran worried. I remember actually sensing the danger and hatred exuded from those women against this racist sheriff and his deputies.
The sheriff backed down, and he and his deputies left.
The class continues after a short break. Class over, then my mom had to tell them it wasn’t a good idea for her to sell them the gun they had used for the class just in case the sheriff wanted to act a fool again but something was being worked out for them and made a phone call. The gun shop owner showed up and the white ladies purchased the guns … gun shop owner leaves and the white ladies gifted them to the black and Hispanic ladies. See, the law said ya could not sell them a gun, but did not say they could not be gifted or loaned or posses a gun and it was legal to give (gift) a gun to someone else even if you had just purchased it.
A few of those women went on to need those guns to save their lives later in life. One, had to defend herself against the very sheriff (by then retired) who had threatened to arrest her with the others that day in the past – when he broke into her home and tried to rape then kill her. She shot the sheriff (no pun for the song intended, but go ahead anyway cause when I think about it I wanna do that part of the song in my head too.).
Years have gone by, mom and dad have passed on since. Those laws were finally completely repealed, that sheriff long since dead (and deserved it too), things changed, I still remember the danger and hatred exuded from those women, standing there at low-ready waiting to engage if the sheriff tried to carry out his threat. I’ll never forget how my Mom looked that day standing up to the sheriff.
I’ll never forget that moment, the moment when I got to see an actual armed defiance against tyranny and my mom was a hero of that defiance.
There are more details, I’ve related this before.
But anyway… that black woman who used that gifted firearm to shoot the retired sheriff to save herself from certain rape and death…. She later got married and had a child, that child grew up and went into politics and became one of the architects of the law that gave constitutional carry to the state I live in now.
What a fricken’ * * A W E S O M E * * story, 40! You had an awesome mom, dude. Just awesome.
I think that makes a really great story for our country’s 250th.
And it was so well written, I think it should have been an article here on TTAG. Scott Witner, are you reading this? Come on, make it happen. With pictures too!
Anyhow, thank you for sharing, sir. I had not read this one in your past postings. I’m glad I didn’t miss it this time too.
Happy Independence Day!
The mere fact that someone declares they want to own a firearm, should make them a prohibited personl
Cool it with the hate crimes while abusing your 1st ammendment there bud 😉
“Cool it with the hate crimes while abusing your 1st ammendment there bud 😉”
In this day and age, the first and second amendments are outdated, dangerous, and un-American. The country is too big, with too many people to allow the average Josephine to propagate hate speech (which is any speech that offends), and with half the nation being crazed alt-right Nazis, too over populated to allow people to just have guns for sh_ _s and gr_ _s.
The founders, no matter how smart, could not conceive of this continent holding ~347 million people, half of which are a basket of deplorables, clinging crazily to their guns and bibles. These people need to be confined to where they came from. . . .the hills and coal mines of West Virginia.
If you like your plan, you can keep your plan. If you like your doctor, you can keep your doctor.
The mere fact that someone declares such as you did Sam shows a certain amount of either mental illness or comedy – neither of which can be taken seriously in context with your comments.
But it does underscore one thing; First Amendment is a real thing and people can exercise it to speak freely. Just as the Second Amendment and the other constitutional rights are a real thing that people are suppose to be able to exercise freely but morons use the First Amendment to try to opress the free exercise of the Second Amendment and all the other constitutional rights ’cause ‘I feelz’ and ‘don’t like’ while they ignore the term ‘constitutional right’ while trying to oppress them using a constitutional right. Which brings to mind another term which is ‘hypocrite’.
But anyway…
As we celebrate the 250th Independence Day, lets not forget that along with the American spirit we also have a sense of humor (for if we didn’t the left wing would not exist), so take time to breath in the freedom those of you in free states and enjoy a laugh or two. And for those of you in states that are not free today and under tyranny the tyrants have not yet banned your ability to laugh so enjoy it while you can …
This July Fourth is the 250th anniversary of the United States. Becoming the greatest country on Earth wasn’t easy. The Founding Fathers risked life and limb to breathe free. Now the entirely true story of America’s split from England can be told thanks to newly discovered historical records and AI-generated video.
Here’s how it happened. Enjoy ‘Independence Day 1776.’ (WATCH – LANGUAGE WARNING)
https://x.com/PJaccetturo/status/2073025039000277082
“The mere fact that someone declares such as you did Sam shows a certain amount of either mental illness or comedy. . .”
There’s always sarcasm.
We’ve had a great run, but I see the night manager at the bar, holding his watch up high, scolding, “Last call, gentlemen, time to be thinking of going home.”