Back in July of 2013, Illinois became the last state in the country to legalize concealed carry after a federal appeals court in December of 2012 struck down a previous ban on the carrying of concealed handguns. So, how many folks in Illinois went out and paid their money, took the required classes, and received their concealed carry licence (CCL)?

It turns out that the number is less than some had predicted. The Illinois State Police started issuing CCLs in the spring of 2014, and as of June 1st of this year, there were 181,489 active CCLs in Illinois.

Kevin Hoffman, writing for Reboot Illinois, says:

Cook County leads the state with over 47,000 CCLs issued, but ranks dead last for the number of CCL holders per 1000 people.

Cook County's CCL numbers:

  • Active CCLs: 47,056
  • Suspended: 59
  • Denied: 866
  • Revoked: 173
  • CCL holders per 1000 people: 9

Here are some numbers closer to home:

Winnebago County's CCL numbers:

  • Active CCLs- 4249
  • Suspended: 4
  • Denied: 25
  • Revoked: 8
  • CCL holders per 1000 people: 14.9

Boone County's CCL numbers:

  • Active CCLs: 831
  • Suspended: 1
  • Denied: 3
  • Revoked: 1
  • CCL holders per 1000 people: 15.4

Ogle County has 21.6 CCL holders per 1000 people.

Lee County has 20.8

Dekalb County has 14.0

Carroll County has 18.2

Pope County has Illinois' most CCL holders per 1000 people with 42.3

The state of Florida leads the nation with over 1.3 million concealed carry licenses issued.

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