Concealed carry permit info released

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COLUMBUS — Attorney General Dave Yost has issued Ohio’s annual report on concealed handgun licensing. It shows a total of 73,552 permits were issued in the state in 2024.

According to the statistics reported to the Attorney General’s Office, county sheriffs issued 14,440 new licenses and 59,112 renewals. Permit holders who wish to renew their licenses must do so every five years. In Van Wert County, just 31 new licenses were issued last year, while 168 concealed carry licenses were renews. Two were suspended.

On June 13, 2022, changes to the law allowed qualifying Ohioans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit while also preserving the permitting system.

Under Ohio law, county sheriffs are responsible for issuing concealed-carry licenses and renewing them, as well as suspending and revoking licenses. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office compiles this annual report, as required by law, about the number of licenses issued each year.

Each sheriff must report concealed handgun license statistics quarterly to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Ohio county sheriffs began issuing concealed-carry licenses in 2004.