Texas CHL Stats

[Jilly]

Ever wonder how many Texans are/were licensed?

Here are the stats from 1996 to current, as of the dates listed:
ie: as of Dec 31, 2013 there are 708,048 CHL Holders in the State of Texas.

708,048 Dec 31, 2013
584,850 Dec 31, 2012
518,625 Dec 31, 2011
461,724 Dec 31, 2010
402,914 Dec 31, 2009
314,574 Dec 31, 2008
288,909 Dec 31, 2007
258,162 Dec 31, 2006
248,874 Dec 31, 2005
239,940 Dec 31, 2004
239,863 Dec 31, 2003
224,172 Dec 31, 2002
218,670 Dec 31, 2001
215,836 Dec 31, 2000
203,878 Dec 31, 1999
183,078 Dec 31, 1998
162,597 Dec 31, 1997
113,640 Dec 31, 1996

Info was obtained from the TX DPS website.

Active License Holder: An individual, who, as of the date listed at the top of the report, is
licensed by the Concealed Handgun Licensing Bureau (CHLB) to carry a concealed
handgun. This count consists of licenses that are issued, have not expired, and have not
been suspended, revoked, or voluntarily surrendered in lieu of revocation. Additionally, the
license holder has not voluntarily "de-activated" his or her license.

[txglock21]

With the recent surge of applicants and changes in class times, renewals, etc., I wonder how close we are to the 1 million mark?

[troglodyte]

Based on the 2013 Census that is 1 in 37 (2.7%) Texans are CHL holders.

[Jumping Frog]

Based on the 2013 Census that is 1 in 37 (2.7%) Texans are CHL holders.

Eliminate people under age 21 and the percent of population increases significantly.

[misterlarry]

DPS cranked out about 500 new CHLs per day in 2013. Now we know why wait times were what they were.

[Charles L. Cotton]

Total number of CHL, along with an analysis of the crime stats is found at viewtopic.php?f=7&t=17975" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chas.

[gdanaher]

Thanks Charles. Always supportive in your information. The percentage of eligible holders is higher than stated. 35% are under 18 years, about 3% are not eligible to vote because of felonies. That puts the percentage of CHL holders to be about at least 4.2% of eligible population. Perhaps higher.

[Cedar Park Dad]

Doing the math for percentage growth for the last five years= 75%

Amount Growth % Year
708,048 21% 2013
584,850 13% 2012
518,625 12% 2011
461,724 15% 2010
402,914 28% 2009

[gdanaher]

Statistics always make me ask more questions. Which states have the highest percentage of license holders, excluding non-resident licenses which might be duplications, AND has any state found that they have 'topped out'? Not everyone eligible for a license is inclined to get one sad to say. Finally, at what population percentage does a group become an economic force that could persuade retailers to change their attitudes?

[anygunanywhere]

It would be interesting to know how many carry regularly.

I bet less than half.

[treeman]

I bet less than 20% of CHL holders carry most of the time. Don't know age breakdowns, but younger (non retired) CHLs have to deal with work situations that either don't allow it or where it just isn't practical and rather than arm and disarm before and after work, the weapon just stays in the vehicle. Probably the older segment of the CHL group has a better "carry average".

[Charles L. Cotton]

There's no data on which to base an estimate about the percentage of CHL's who carry regularly. I used to ask my renewal students and close to 75% said they carried "regularly" but not necessarily "all the time" whatever either of those terms mean. My gut tells me the percentage has gone up in view of ISIS, multi-attacker robberies, etc., but again, that's a guess with no data to support it. Heck, I can't even ask renewal students any longer and asking new folks how often they plan to carry is hardly reliable.

Chas.

[houserco]

While I did juts receive my CHL (9 days total processing time from app to mailbox), I had my carry permit in another state for over a decade (although it had expired prior to moving back to TX). It's my opinion that if someone plans on carrying at all, they should ALWAYS carry. There are multiple reasons for this (as I'm sure most already know) but one bug one is that if (hopefully you never do) you are put in the situation of ever having to pull your weapon, there could possibly be questions about why you picked that day to carry and just so happened to pull your weapon. Basically, there could potentially be court arguments for various reasons as to why you picked that day to carry - "were you angry, did you make threats, wake up on wrong side of the bed, whatever.

Aside from the whole reason we all have applied (defensive), I'm not sure why someone would chance fate if given the option to potentially avoid it. That all said, some also make the justification of comfortability. They simply aren't comfortable carrying every day and I can understand that mentality. Too much to worry about. Proper dress, in a rush, weapon woes etc. Nevertheless, I've found that carrying not only makes me a better driver, but a better person. I say this mainly because I am MUCH less quick to anger and much more aware of my surroundings which is NEVER a bad thing.

Just my rambling and two cents though...

[cyphersc@acm.org]

239,940 Dec 31, 2004
239,863 Dec 31, 2003

Doesn't it seam odd that the increase from 2003 to 2004 was only 77!