Philadelphia gun permit levels high but boom slows

State of play: Philadelphia police issued 20,591 license-to-carry permits last year, per city data.

• That's a nearly 13% drop from 2023, marking a third consecutive year of permit declines.
• Yes, but: Before the pandemic, gun permits in Philly averaged about 8,400 annually, according to state police statistics from 2014-20.

The latest: As of mid-March, license-to-carry permits had exceeded 4,600 this year.

The intrigue: Philadelphia saw big declines in homicides and other violent crimes last year.

• So far, homicides are down 28% compared with the same time last year, per Philly police's online dashboard.

Context: Philadelphia, unlike everywhere else in the state, requires a license for carrying both concealed and open firearms.

• Philly is blocked from passing its own gun control measures due to the state's preemption law, which gives that power to the state Legislature.

Flashback: Carry permits skyrocketed in Philly in 2021, reaching a decade high of more than 52,200. Gun sales also surged.

• Stats for gun sales in Philly for 2024 were not yet available, per a state police spokesperson.

Zoom out: Gun sales spiked nationwide starting in 2020 amid climbing homicide rates, protests over police brutality, and a rise in anti-Asian hate crimes.

• But that pandemic boom appears to be on the decline, with estimated gun sales dropping nearly 4% in 2024 compared with the previous year, per an analysis from The Trace.

Meanwhile, growing concerns about racial and political violence have fueled gun purchases among demographic groups with lower gun-ownership rates, such as Democrats and Black, Asian and Hispanic Americans, per a study conducted in 2023.

What they're saying: Chris Stone, director of state affairs for Gun Owners of America, tells Axios that groups traditionally not associated with firearms have been embracing gun ownership in recent years, including women and members of the LGBTQ community.

• Self-defense is a driving force behind the rise in gun ownership, he said.
• "More and more people are realizing that owning a firearm, being armed, being trained, being smart, being safe isn't a partisan issue," he said.

Adam Garber of the gun-control group CeasefirePA tells Axios that fears over safety in Philly were likely propelling people toward guns.

• "It's very concerning because it means more people are carrying firearms potentially in our communities, and we know that will lead to less-safe situations on a daily basis," he said.

Between the lines: Firearms are rarely used for self-defense, per a recent study from the NJ Gun Violence Research Center at Rutgers University.

• Only 8% of sampled gun owners reported ever using a firearm in self-defense, per the study.