Ohio issued over 15,000 new concealed carry permits for handguns in 2023 even though the state stopped requiring concealed handgun licenses in 2022, according to the state’s annual handgun licensing report released by Ohio state Attorney General Dave Yost Friday.
The report revealed that the Buckeye State issued 90,582 permits last year, including more than 15,000 new permits for residents seeking a state license to carry a concealed firearm for their self-defense in public places.
More than 15,000 new concealed carry permits issued in Ohio in 2023 https://t.co/hhkxW8EBO2
— John Solomon (@jsolomonReports) March 2, 2024
However, it was not necessary in the first place for these residents to get a carry permit, even though the state issued them their handgun licenses anyway. The report issued by Yost on Friday showed county sheriffs gave residents 15,581 new licenses in 2023 and renewed 75,001 carry permits. Permit renewal takes place every five years in Ohio.
Ohio’s gun policies changed on June 13, 2022, allowing eligible Ohioans to carry a concealed handgun in public without a permit. But the new law left the permitting system in place.
Yost issued a report in early January this year informing the public that ending concealed carry restrictions in favor of constitutional carry policies did not cause violent crime in the state. Yost’s office worked with the Center for Justice Research at Bowling Green State University to produce the report from crime data in Ohio’s eight major cities.
More than 15,000 New Concealed Carry Permits Issued in Ohio in 2023https://t.co/NAy6rHKiuT
— TheOhioStar (@TheOhioStar) March 2, 2024
The report showed that crimes involving firearms fell in 2023 in Columbus, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Toledo, Akron, Dayton, Parma and Canton. Gun-related crime fell the most in Parma by 22%, followed by Akron and Toledo, with 18% drops in gun crime. Meanwhile, gun-related crime in Columbus fell from 10.79 per 1,000 crimes to 9.55.
“Mayors of several large Ohio cities were concerned that constitutional carry would fuel crime in their communities,” the report said. “In response, the Center for Justice Research, a partnership between my office and Bowling Green State University, conducted a study.”
“Researchers examined gun crime in Ohio’s eight largest cities from one year before constitutional carry was enacted until one year after enactment. The study found an overall decline in gun crime in six cities,” the report concluded.
