Washington Has Triple The Concealed Carry Permit Rate

Than has Texas.

Now one in 14 Washington adults is legal to pack concealed heat — nearly triple the rate of the gunslinger state of Texas.

Gun sales are up everywhere. So much so that The New York Times just ran a feature on "covert carry" clothing lines, with quick-access holster slits for the fashion-aware gun owner.

Guns are smoking hot here.

"This gun surge has stunned even me," says Dave Workman, editor of TheGunMag.com and a local gun-rights crusader. "I look at these numbers and I say 'wow!' We are a really heavily armed state."

He believes Washington now ranks in the top five for per capita concealed-pistol permits. That represents only a fraction of gun ownership, because many guns don't require a license.
I asked Workman: What is going on?

He said the accidents have raised concerns about gun safety. But at the same time, there were high-profile home invasions in which guns may have saved the day — including one in March in North Bend in which a homeowner shot and killed an intruder who had kicked in his locked bedroom door.

He speculates the gun surge may also be due to the economy. ("Some believe society is going through a meltdown, so they go get a gun.") Or to Obama's presidency. ("There's concern if he gets re-elected, the gloves come off on the Second Amendment.") Or it's a rolling reaction to the U.S. Supreme Court affirming, in 2008, a right to be armed.

"People realize it's completely OK to have a gun," he said.