While I’ve always had a theory that there’s a major rise in CCW training and permits after mass shootings, I haven’t really seen the data quantified to confirm it. Although the data below isn’t what I’d call quantified, it does lend some validity to the theory. I find this information especially interesting, given the on-going push from high school aged kids for gun control.

The number of Americans interested in obtaining concealed carry permits to secretly bear arms in public has jumped dramatically since the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in February, with some states having seen as much as a 250 per cent increase in training requests for this type of permit.

In the 50 days since the Parkland, Florida shooting, companies and networks of firearm instructors that provide training for the permits in dozens of states have seen inquires and interest spike. One company said it had even received more requests for training now than after the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. “There’s been a lot of shootings, unfortunately, in this country, but we’ve never seen a spike this big before, even with Newtown,” Chris Schultrop, the CEO and co-founder of Minnesota-based concealed permit training network National Carry Academy (NCA), which works across 27 states, told The Independent.

The intensified interest comes as some Republicans in Washington are leading a push to pass a sweeping national concealed carry law that would force states to recognize all permits issued in the United States. That would mean states that do not allow concealed carry permits would have to allow people to use them. Meanwhile, teenage survivors of the Valentine’s Day Parkland shooting are leading a national movement pushing in the opposite direction; for stricter gun control laws.

An analysis by NCA found that it had seen a 103.5% increase in interest in it’s training in the month following the Parkland, Florida shooting in February, including a spike of as much as 283% in Ohio. That’s similar to what other networks have experienced, like Concealed Carry Inc, which markets itself as the largest concealed carry training network in the United States and works across 28 states. Jacob Paulsen, a trainer with the network, said that it saw about a 250% increase in interest over concealed carry in Florida alone, and at least a 100% increase in its network as a whole. Mr Paulsen says the pattern repeats after each mass shooting that captures headlines in America. “Why is there an increase after these events? I think people are more proactive about being concerned for their own personal safety,” Mr Paulsen said, noting that unlike the NCA, his organization saw more interest following the 2012 Newtown shooting than the one in Parkland. “I think there’s a concern that the police can never be there fast enough in these situations, and you have to be responsible for your own personal safety.”

While I fully support law enforcement (given that I’m a former LEO), the simple fact is they cannot be everywhere at once. At the end of the day, it really comes down to the number of officers that are available when needed. Most law enforcement agencies try to maintain a minimum ratio of at least 1 officer per every 1000 citizens of the population withing that agency’s jurisdiction. Some well funded police departments and law enforcement agencies are able to maintain staffing levels well above the 1/1000 ratio. However, there are also many states, counties, or municipalities that struggle to maintain a ratio of 1 officer for every 2000 to 3000 people.

So people have a choice to make in that regard:

(1) You count on law enforcement to respond and protect you in a timely manner, or

(2) Where legal, you take a higher level of responsibility, and get the necessary training and legal requirements to carry concealed, or at least arm yourself for home protection.

It’s really as simple as that.