The Right to Carry Concealed Arms is Winning, in One Chart
Via Instapundit comes this Volokh Conspiracy blog post at The Washington Post. David Kopel of Colorado's Indenpendence Institute writes:
As of 1986, slightly less than 10% of the U.S. population lived in states where there were objective and fair procedures for the issuance of concealed handgun carry permits. About a third of the population lived in states where there was not even a process to apply for a permit. The majority of the population lived in states where issuance in permits was highly discretionary, and many issuing authorities refused to issue to ordinary law-abiding citizens.
By 2014, the percentage of people living in the Red states, with no possibility of even applying for a permit, has declined to zero. Illinois' 2013 reforms ended the problem of states not even having an process theoretically available. (The problem persists in DC, but this chart is only for states.)
As of January 2014, about 2/3 of the population lived in a Green state, with a Shall Issue licensing statute.
Note: Green "shall issue" shading gets a big bump at the far left because Kopel assumes that a recent federal ruling by the Ninth Circuit will be upheld.