There are more concealed handgun permits in the US than ever before

There are more concealed handgun permits in the U.S. than ever before, according to new analysis from the Crime Research Prevention Center, a nonprofit founded by gun rights advocate John Lott.

There was some expectation that permit requests would wane following the election of Donald Trump, given the new president's pro-gun stance.

But the number of new permits rose by 1.83 million over the past year, bringing the total number of concealed handgun permit holders in the U.S. to 16.3 million.

Click through the States with the toughest gun laws:

In addition to being the president of the Crime Research Prevention Center, Lott also authored this report.

"All states now allow concealed carry," Lott told Fox News, saying, "And they are all issuing more permits. The longer that concealed carry laws have been in effect, the more time that people have had to apply for and receive permits."

In a 2012 study by the Pew Research Center, 48 percent of respondents said that a gun "protected them from being crime victims."