Record number of concealed carry permits issued in 2012

A lot of Annies and Andys are getting their guns.

Or at least obtaining their concealed carry gun permits anyway.

Mike DeWine, Ohio's Attorney General - and himself a CCW permit holder - today issued his annual report that says more than 78,000 concealed carry licenses were issued in Ohio in 2012, the largest number since licenses were first issued in 2004.

According to statistics reported to the Attorney General's office, county sheriffs in Ohio issued 64,650 new licenses and 12,160 renewal licenses in 2012, or 78,810 total licenses.

Another 58 temporary CCW permits were issued last year as well, the AG's report says.

The number of new licenses is also the largest in a single year since licenses were first issued in 2004 with 33,864 people carded with the proper documents.

Last year's total CCW permit issuances was 49,828.

"As a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, I am pleased to see more Ohioans than ever before are exercising their rights under Ohio's concealed carry law," DeWine said in his prepared remarks.

 "I look forward to continuing to work with Ohio's county sheriffs to provide information to Ohioans on this law's usage."

But as the number of CCW permits have risen so have the number of CCW permit suspensions as well as revocations.

Last year the state recorded 1,030 CCW permit suspensions, up from the 946 suspensions in 2011 and way up from the 525 suspensions seen in 2004.

As a way of explanation, the AG's reports says this about suspensions:

"Under Ohio Revised Code (ORC) Section 2923.128, sheriffs must immediately suspend a concealedhandgun license upon notification that the licensee has been arrested or charged with certain offenses or if the licensee is the subject of a protection order issued by a court.

"The license may be returned to the holder if he is found not guilty or the charges are dismissed.

"It is important to note that some of these licenses may have been issued in previous years. Sheriffs

are not required to report the details surrounding a suspension."

The outright revocation of CCW permits last year stood at 741, up considerably from the 212 revocations recorded in 2011.

DeWine's comprehensive reports says this officially about revocations:

"Also under ORC 2923.128, sheriffs must permanently revoke the license of any person who no

longer meets the eligibility requirements to carry a concealed handgun.

"There are several reasons that a license may be revoked. The license holder:

" . Moved out of state

"• Died

"• Decided not to hold the license anymore

"• Was convicted of a disqualifying crime

"• Became subject to the law’s restrictions on mentally ill people or people considered drug

or alcohol dependent.

"Sheriffs are not required to report the specific reason for the revocation to the Ohio Peace Officer

Training Commission."

Also, of Ohio's 88 counties, no fewer than 22 of them saw issuance of at least 1,000 permits each. The high card went to Franklin County (Columbus) with 4,712 CCW permits issued.

Next was Lake County, which issued 3,175 CCW permits last year.

The county with the fewest number of CCW permits issued was Noble County with only 62 such cards handed out.

Other Northeast Ohio counties with permits issued were Ashtabula (328); Cuyahoga (2,052); Erie (1,221); Geauga (1,315; Huron (222); Lorain (544); Medina (1,733); Portage (1,296); Stark (1,341); Summit (1,833); and Trumbull (1,482).

Likewise the report lists the states in which Ohio CCW  permit holders enjoy recoprocity where they can carry concealed. The current list includes: Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

The Attorney General's Office compiles an 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.

A complete copy of the report is available on the Ohio Attorney General's website. 

Also, to learn more about Ohio's concealed carry laws, the Attorney General Office suggests visiting www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/ConcealedCarry. 

- Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

JFrischkorn@News-Herald.com.

Twitter: @Fieldkorn