Fewer Gun Permits Issued in 2014 As Overall Number Rises

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota authorities issued about 41,000 permits to carry guns last year, down more than 30 percent from the year before.

The state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension says there are about 181,000 valid permits in Minnesota as of Monday. That number has more than doubled in the past five years.

Permits must be renewed every five years. Anyone who wants one must prove they've been trained and pass a background check.

Permit holders committed 1,320 crimes in 2014, a 29 percent increase from the year before. Most of last year's crimes were DUIs or other traffic offenses.

Hennepin, Anoka and Dakota counties led the state with the most permits issued last year.