The number of concealed carry licenses issued in Ohio last year reached the lowest count in nearly a decade.
An annual report issued Monday by the Attorney General’s Office states that Ohio sheriffs issued more than 54,400 new licenses to carry concealed handguns in 2019, down 22% from the year before.
A total of 1,310 requests for concealed-carry licenses were denied in 2019 for failing to meet eligibility requirements for a regular or temporary emergency license.
The report follows a deadly year for the state after a masked gunman fired off dozens of shots at a nightclub district in Dayton, killing nine people and leaving 27 injured.
A bill introduced in the Ohio legislature last year would eliminate the need for permits to carry a concealed weapon. It passed an Ohio House panel in June but has been stuck in the criminal justice committee since then.
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