Report: Over 51,000 Minnesotans Applied for Gun Permits in 2019

UNDATED -- The number of Minnesotans applying for a permit to carry a gun was down last year. Minnesota sheriffs reported to the BCA that 53,310 permits were applied for and they issued 51,404 permits in 2019. That compares to just over 66,000 in 2018, 55,000 in 2017, and over 71,000 in 2016.

The top five counties for five-year permits issued last year were Hennepin, Anoka, Dakota, Ramsey, and St. Louis.

There were 143 permits suspended, 33 revoked and 656 denied in 2019.

Minnesota sheriffs reported that individuals with permits committed 1,891 crimes in 2019, nearly 58 percent were DWI's or other traffic offenses.

The total number of valid permits in Minnesota is over 301,000.

Minnesota's Personal Protection Act was first enacted in 2003.