Proportionally, Massachusetts has half again as many concealed handgun licensees as Texas [View all]
Note: this OP was inspired by research done in response to Kang Colby's OP:
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1172181197
"Gun Ownership in MA Increases 66% since 2010"
Yes, you read that correctly- if the figures I've found are accurate, 3% of the residents in
'gun-happy' Texas had concealed handgun licenses in 2014.
At the same time, 4.7% of the residents of Massachusetts (a state well known for
strong gun control) have the equivalent license
Here's what I found, with sources:
https://www.txdps.state.tx.us/rsd/chl/reports/ActLicAndInstr/ActiveLicandInstr2014.pdf
TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC SAFETY
REGULATORY SERVICES DIVISION
CONCEALED HANDGUN LICENSING
Active License/Certified Instructor Counts
As of December 31, 2014
Active License Holders: 825,957
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/48000.html
Texas Population, 2014 estimate 26,956,958-
which means that
ca. 3% of Texans (or 1 in 33) had concealed handgun licenses
https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2015/04/20/gun-laws-tightened-mass-number-permits-spiked/KDbdE52Cvdf4xNfIL4r0hN/story.html
Statewide, the number of active Class A licenses — the so-called license to carry category that broadly includes the right to carry a concealed weapon — grew nearly 12 percent between 2013 and 2014. That was a significantly greater jump than in past years, a Globe review of data from the Firearms Records Bureau found.
Overall, the number of active gun licenses of all types grew 5 percent, with a total of 355,272 in the state last year...
...With about 318,000 licensees in 2014, the Class A license was the most popular in the state
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/25000.html
Massachusetts Population, 2014 estimate 6,745,408
If the Globe's figure are correct, ca. 4.7 % of Bay Staters (or 1 in 21) have a Class A (concealed carry) licenses. If Texas had as many in proportion, there would be 1,219,977 CHL holders there