The number of Ohio residents issued or renewing handgun licenses has declined largely due to changes in state law.
According to Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, 90,582 permits were issued last year. County sheriffs issued 15,581 new handgun licenses and 75,001 renewals.
Currently, permit holders who wish to renew their licenses must do so every five years.
The totals are based on statistics reported by county sheriffs to the attorney general, who is required by law to compile the annual report.
Two years ago, changes to the law allowed qualifying Ohioans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit, a right referred to as constitutional carry. The law did not eliminate the state’s permitting system.
“Since the revised law took effect, the number of concealed-carry licenses issued by Ohio’s 88 county sheriffs has predictably decreased,” Mr. Yost explained.
In 2023, the first full year of constitutional carry, 15,581 new licenses were issued, compared to 94,298 in 2021, the last year permits were required.
The attorney general’s office– in response to mayors who were concerned that constitutional carry would fuel crime in their communities– conducted a study in partnership with Bowling Green State University.
“Researchers examined gun crime in Ohio’s eight largest cities from one year before constitutional carry was enacted until one year after enactment,” he said.
“The study found an overall decline in gun crime in six cities,” he continued.
Rates falling the most were in Parma, 22 percent, followed by Akron, Columbus and Toledo, 18 percent each.
Rates increased in Dayton by 6 percent, and Cincinnati, 5 percent.
Mr. Yost believes the takeaway from the study is “that while urban crime remains a serious issue, we should focus our attention on violent criminals rather than Ohioans who responsibly exercise their Second Amendment rights.”
The attorney general’s report included other data such as the number of license applications denied, 435. That number declined by 47 percent or 825 in 2022.
The number of licenses suspended stood at 1,846, a four percent increase over the 2022.
Under Ohio law, sheriff’s must suspend a concealedhandgun license upon learning the holder has been arrested or charged with certain offenses or if the licensee is the subject of a protection order. The license may be returned if the holder is found not guilty or charges are dismissed.
The number of permanently revoked licenses fell 11 percent in 2023 to 405, compared to 454 in 2022. Licenses are revoked when the person no longer meets eligibility requirements.
Those include the holder relocating out of state, dying, canceling the license or committing a disqualifying crime.
Sheriffs’ offices are not required to report the reason for the revocation.
The attorney general’s report also included a breakdown by county.
Sheriff Mike Navarre’s office reported the following totals for 2023: Licenses Issued–456 Licenses Renewed–1,269 Licenses Suspended–53 Licenses Revoked–1 Licenses Denied–50 The five counties that issued the most new licenses last year were Franklin, 1,238; Lake, 1,047; Tuscarawas, 980; Hamilton, 722, and Cuyahoga, 560.
Ohio residents can apply for a concealed carry license in their home county or a county sharing a border with their home, according to state law.
