GAO: America has 118 million pistols, 8 million conceal-carry permits July 26, 2012 | 5:23 pm
In a new report heralded by the NRA, the General Accountability Office finds that the numbers of Americans with permits to carry a concealed weapon has surged and virtually every state now allows pistols to be carried under garments or even in a car glove box.
"The number of states allowing concealed carry permits is increasing," said the GAO.
The report included two shocking numbers:
-- There are currently 118 million handguns in America, either owned or for sale.
-- Some 8 million Americans already have a concealed carry permit, about 1 million more than previously thought.
The report found that permits are not available only in Washington, D.C. and Illinois and that some states have huge populations of conceal carry permit holders. For example, in South Dakota and Georgia, about 10 percent of the population has a permit. In Virginia,
279,000 have them but in Maryland only 12,000 can legally carry a concealed weapon.(and Id say that the numbers of handguns posted..is low by at least 25 million. Its commonly believed that there are a bit over 300 million privately owned firearms in general..but other less talked about surveys show the number to be significantly over 400 million)
Gunner
"The best government is a benevolent tyranny tempered by an occasional assassination." --Voltaire