CONCEALED CARRY

After record-setting 2016, new concealedcarry permit figures remain strong

The Lake County Sheriff’s Office issued its second most ever new concealed-carry permits in 2017, one year after setting a record high.

In 2016, the sheriff’s office issued 6,045 new permits. There were 5,789 new permits issued last year.

When combined with renewals, the sheriff’s office issued its most permits ever in 2017 with 8,502 (2,713 renewals).

Concealed-carry licenses need to be renewed every five years. That alone should keep the sheriff’s office busy in 2018. Prior to 2016, the county’s record for most permits issued was in 2013 with 5,000.

In Ohio, all concealed-carry permits are issued through county sheriff’s offices, but

permit holders may obtain their licenses in counties contiguous to the one in which they reside. This has helped boost the number of licenses issued in Lake

County, Chief Deputy Frank Leonbruno previously told The News-Herald.

“People who have come to our CCW office have commented about the professionalism of the office and the ability to go online and sign up for a date and time,” Leonbruno told The News-Herald last year.

“That helps them get in and out quickly and they seem to appreciate that.”

According to the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, 107 licenses were suspended, 76 were revoked and 105 applications were denied in 2017.

There are several reasons licenses may be revoked, according the Attorney General’s

Office. The license holder may have: • Moved out of state • Died • Decided not to hold the license anymore

• Was convicted of a disqualifying crime

• Became subject to the law’s restriction 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.

Final statewide data for 2017 is not yet available. Through three quarters of the year, however, new licenses

are down to 15,182 from 25,474 over the same period last year.

As in Lake County, Ohio experienced a record number of new permits issued in 2016. Renewals are up over the same period from the previous year, however — 12,401 compared to 8,754 last year.