COLUMBUS, Ohio – A record number of concealed-carry permits were issued in 2013.
According to figures released Friday by the office of the Ohio Attorney General, more than 145,000 licenses to carry concealed weapons were issued last year.
County sheriffs in Ohio issued 96,972 new licenses, blowing away the old record of 64,650 set the year before, and 48,370 renewal licenses for a total of 145,342. The previous record for total licenses issued was in 2012, when nearly 77,000 were issued.
The number of licenses is also the largest in a single year since licenses were first issued in 2004. The previous record for renewal licenses was in 2008, the first year licenses could be renewed, when 31,139 licenses were renewed.
The attorney general’s office says it compiles an annual report required by law on the number of licenses issued each year. Each county sheriff must report concealed handgun license statistics quarterly to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission within the Attorney General’s office.