A Record Number of Handgun Carry Permits Issued in 2021

ST. PAUL -- Minnesota sheriffs issued a record number of handgun carry permits in 2021.

The Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is reporting 106,488 permits were issued last year, the most since the state's Personal Protection Act went into effect in 2016.

The number of issued permits is nearly 10,000 more than in 2020.

Of the 3,863 crimes committed by permit holders last year, a large majority (61%) of them were DWIs.

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The top five Minnesota counties for permits issued in 2021 are Hennepin, Ramsey, Anoka, Dakota, and Washington.

There are just over 387,000 valid permits in Minnesota today.