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St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - The number of handgun carry permits issued by the State of Minnesota hit a record high last year.

The Minnesota Department of Public Safety says Sheriff's throughout the state issued 106,488 permits to carry under the Personal Protection Act. The Sheriff's Offices received a total of 110,078 applications. 1627 of those applications were denied and 1165 were voided. In addition, 40 permits to carry were revoked last year and 178 were suspended.

black pistol and cartridges on a black wooden table
Michal Oska
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An annual report issued by the Department of Public Safety shows 3,863 crimes were committed last year by people possessing permits to carry. While that is the highest number of crimes since the law went into effect, the department says the number of individuals with permits committing crimes represented about one percent of the total number of permit holders, which is consistent with recent prior years. More than 60 percent of crimes listed in the report were DWIs or other traffic offenses. A little over two-percent involved permit holders using firearms in the commission of a crime.

2021 was the second straight year the state has set a new record for the issuance of handgun carry permits. The previous record from 2020 was about 96,500. The lowest number of permits issued in any year since the law went into effect was about 51,400 in 2019.

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