Ohioans set new annual record for concealed-carry permits

AT A GLANCE

• 500,000-plus: Active Ohio CHLs, or 4 percent of Ohio residents
• 36,118: Most initial CHLs ever issued in Ohio in one quarter
• 132: Percent increase over the same period in 2015
• 47,360: Total licenses issued, second only to 48,032 in the second quarter of 2013
• 11,242: CHL renewals
• 70: Percent renewal rate in Ohio slightly below average
• 6: Percent more active CHLs than there were three months ago.
• 16: Percent more active CHLs than a year ago
• 21: CHLs issued per hour
• 721: CHLs issued per week, more than double the historical average.
• 1 in 17: Odds that an adult you see has a CHL
• .4: Percent revocation rate

There are now more than 500,000 valid concealed-carry license holders in the state, representing more than 4 percent of residents, according to statistics released today by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

At 36,118, more first-time licenses were issued in the first quarter of this year than ever before, a 132 percent increase, according to the release.

With a total of 47,360 licenses issued, that is second only to the second quarter of 2013 when 48,032 were issued, according to the release.

Ohio also honors an estimated 12.3 million concealed-carry licenses from other states, according to the release.

Concealed-carry instructors have been swamped with demand, and according to a prepared statement from Jim Irvine, president of the Buckeye Firearms Association board of directors, that’s the result of a change in the law reducing the required training time from 12 to eight hours.

“The reason we supported the change was simple — We actually wanted more people to get training,” Irvine said in the prepared statement. “Most people can’t concentrate for 12 hours. A slightly shorter class is easier to get through and can mean better training and longer retention. The numbers we’re seeing from the Attorney General’s office indicate that the new training requirements are less intimidating and the law is working as intended.”