Concealed carry has been one of the biggest areas in which the right to keep and bear arms has gained protection nationwide over the past three decades, and the increased issuance of permits in San Diego County has arguably been SDCGO’s greatest victory in the organization’s ten-year history. Where concealed handgun permits were once nearly impossible to obtain and San Diegans’ right to armed self-defense was not even legally recognized, now almost anyone can reasonably expect his or her permit application to be approved. With that having been the case for a few years now, I want to collect some detailed data on how people most commonly carry and how it affects their daily lives. Sure, organizations such as John Lott’s Crime Prevention Research Center have collected some data on the subject, but the existing body of knowledge on concealed carriers tends to focus on things like demographics and political views. As someone whose daily routine includes clipping a holster to my belt before I go outside, I’m more interested in collecting data on concealed carry as a lifestyle. What do calibers do people carry? How often do they practice? How do they deal with places where carry is restricted? Have they ever had to draw their firearms? Now is your chance to anonymously contribute to a greater public understanding of concealed carry as a lifestyle and the mindset associated with it.
Despite being the most populous state in the Union, and in spite of the Bruen decision theoretically forcing every state to adopt shall-issue policies, California still has a minuscule population of permit holders. With only one in two hundred adult Californians holding a concealed handgun permit compared to about one in twelve nationwide, the city of Oceanside alone outnumbers all CCW holders in the state, from San Ysidro all the way to Modoc, put together. You, as someone living in such a notoriously gun-unfriendly state, might gain some insight from nationwide results; respondents in other states with different traditions of gun ownership and use might learn something from your results too. This is an opportunity for all of us to learn from each other’s choices and habits, so if it isn’t too much to ask, please take a few minutes out of your day to answer my survey. Again, it’s completely anonymous, and you won’t even be asked where you live or what you do for work, so no one will be able to identify you based on your answers. Once you finish the survey, please pass it on to your friends or coworkers, or even better, share it on social media. Once enough responses are in, I will write another blog post sharing the results and some analysis that I hope will help all of us be safer and smarter about the way we carry.
