According to the latest study released by the Crime Prevention Research Center, concealed carry permit holders are approaching 15 million, nearly triple the 4.6 million citizens with permits in 2007. The study also revealed that six percent of the total adult population has a concealed carry permit; that in 20 states more than 10 percent of adults have concealed handgun permits; that the number of women with permits has increased twice as quickly as the number of men with permits; and that concealed handgun permit holders are extremely law-abiding - - even more law-abiding than police. Along with the increased ownership of firearms, and the commensurate surge in the issuance of concealed handgun permits, has come a predictable decrease in violent crime.

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