The numbers don’t lie. Search interest in handgun training and concealed carry classes has plummeted nationwide, leaving firearms instructors, ranges, and small businesses scrambling to survive.
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According to Google data, “concealed carry class” peaked in June 2020, when nationwide interest surged during the pandemic and civil unrest. Back then, search activity hit 100—the maximum possible. Today, just five years later, it sits at a shocking 19% of that peak. Other keywords such as “CCW classes” and “handgun training” are scraping the bottom, in some cases approaching zero.
And this isn’t just internet trivia. A parallel look at monthly search volumes shows the same free fall: from 20,100 searches for “concealed carry class” in July 2024 down to 16,000 by June 2025, and from 14,800 to 12,100 for “CCW classes”. In Colorado, where I operate Guns For Everyone National, the drop is even more visible. Our state ranks just 29th in the nation for concealed carry interest. After a brief spike ahead of a July 2025 law change, searches crashed back down almost immediately.
From Packed Classes to Empty Seats
I’ve lived this shift. Before COVID, our free concealed carry courses regularly filled with 50 to 60 students per session, sometimes four in a weekend. After 2021, that number plunged to 25 to 30 students. Today, we are lucky if we see close to 20 students in a classroom.
Meanwhile, some gun stores in Colorado have already shuttered, and one of the state’s largest ranges is reportedly on the brink. These closures don’t make headlines, but they ripple through the entire firearms community.
Why This Decline Matters
Behind closed doors, many in the industry admit what they won’t post on social media: the gun market is shrinking. Some may brag online about “doing fantastic,” but the data doesn’t back it up.
And here’s the uncomfortable truth: you don’t need new gun control laws to weaken the Second Amendment. All it takes is an economy so broken that people can’t afford training, guns, or ammunition. Culture dies quietly when fewer people show up to the range, fewer businesses can keep the lights on, and fewer students learn what responsible gun ownership really means.
Who’s Still Fighting for the Culture
There’s still hope, but only if we invest in the companies that invest in us. Businesses like Avidity Arms, Gideon Optics, and Colorado’s The Gun Room, Bristlecone Shooting Range, Triple J Armory, LT Arms, Skyline Firearms and High Country Armory have consistently supported the community without nickel-and-diming. They fight for rights in courtrooms, donate time and resources, and keep their doors open for gun owners.
If we lose them, we lose more than storefronts—we lose spaces where the culture is cultivated, where new shooters are welcomed, and where activism finds its roots.
The Bottom Line
The trendlines are clear: handgun training interest is collapsing. Whether you’re left, right, or somewhere in between, that should alarm you. Because if the culture fades, so will the willpower to defend it.
Support the businesses that stand with you. Show up for classes, even when times are tough. Because once the classrooms and ranges are gone, so is the movement that sustains our rights.