COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - Ohio saw a record of nearly 100,000 renewals of concealed carry gun permits last year.
The Columbus Dispatch reports renewals, which are required every five years to legally conceal a handgun, were nearly double the number of licenses renewed in 2017.
Licenses overall have been renewed more than 400,000 times since the concealed-carry law was enacted in 2004. Not all of those licenses remain valid.
The number of new permits declined 10 percent last year to 70,000.
Just over 1,400 requests for permits were denied for failing to meet eligibility requirements, including eight hours of training and passing a criminal-background check.
County sheriffs suspended 1,738 permits, a 4 percent increase from 2017. Suspensions are ordered when holders are charged with certain criminal offenses or are subject to protection orders.
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Information from: The Columbus Dispatch, http://www.dispatch.com
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