Impact of Cost and Time on Number of CCW Permits

The Texas Tribune just published an article examining concealed carry permits rates in various Texas cities. The major finding was that people living in the wealthier neighborhoods were more likely to have a CCW permit than those living in poorer neighborhoods.

Jonathon Hartsfield and Adam Kelly live on opposite sides of San Antonio. They both own guns, they’ve never been in serious trouble with the law and they’d both like to have a concealed handgun license — just to be safe.

But like many of his neighbors on the city’s low-income South Side, Hartsfield hasn’t applied for a gun permit, which costs $140 for the license fee and roughly $100 or more for the 10-hour instruction class. “I’d like one,” says Hartsfield, 22, who works at a shooting range on Pleasanton Road called A Place to Shoot. “It’s the cost and time to get it.”

Kelly, 36, lives on the city’s North Side — one of the most popular areas for concealed handgun licenses. Two weeks ago, he attended the mandatory class to obtain his permit. “It’s the right thing to do if you’re going to have a gun,” Kelly says.

This correlates very strongly with the research of Professor John Lott. At the recent Gun Rights Policy Conference, Lott noted that there was a 40% difference in CCW permits between states that require 9 hours of training and those that require only 8 hours of training. A 9 hour requirement suggests that the class must be taken over two days instead of just one.

As the article notes, the state of Texas requires 10 hours of training and a $140 application fee. Costs for taking the class average around $100. That requirement was set in 1995 when the law was first passed.