Ohio AG issues 2020 Conceal Carry Report

Columbus, OH – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost issued the 2020 Conceal Carry Report on Monday.

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.

According to the report, 169,232 concealed carry licenses were issued in Ohio in 2020. That is up 27.8% from 2019, when 132,385 concealed carry licenses were issued.

Of the 169,232 concealed carry licenses, 98,892 were new licenses. By comparison, there were 54,426 new licenses issued in 2019. That is a 43.8% increase. The 96,892 new licenses is the third-highest in the 16-year-old program. 85 of Ohio’s 88 county sheriffs issued more licenses last year than they did in 2019. 72,340 were renewals A license must be renewed every five years.

429 licenses were revoked. This is lower than in 2019 when 939 licenses were also revoked. 1,618 licenses were suspended. 1,777 applications were also denied.

In Erie County, 910 licenses were issued, 1,028 licenses were renewed, 27 licenses were suspended, five licenses were revoked, 26 license applications were denied, and two license processes were suspended.