Illinois State Police Release 2014 Concealed Carry License Numbers

When the debate over a concealed carry law in Illinois was taking place, estimates were that as many as 300,000 Illinois residents could apply for the license in Year 1.

New data from the Illinois State Police shows that was not even close to accurate. During 2014, fewer than 100,000 concealed carry licenses were handed out. My guess is the fees for the license and for the training as well as the time commitment needed for the training helped lead to missing the mark.

On the plus side, at least we didn't have any shootouts in grocery stores, right former Governor Pat Quinn?:

More details on the numbers below.

• Over the course of the year, 91,651 Illinois residents received concealed carry licenses. Of that total, 2,142 are in Winnebago County, 551 are in Ogle County, and 389 are in Boone County. The highest number in the state, not surprisingly, is in Cook County where 23,921 licenses have been issued.
• Over the course of the year, 2,359 Illinois residents had applications for a concealed carry license denied. That includes 33 in Winnebago County, three in Ogle County, and eight in Boone County. Cook County accounted for 1,148 of the denials.
• In 2014 only 175 concealed carry licenses were revoked for various reasons. That includes two people in Boone County but no one in Winnebago or Ogle Counties. Cook County had 50 revocations.
• Since June, Illnois officials have been receiving about 4,500 applications for concealed carry permits each month. Almost 35,000 applied in January, the first month enrollment was open.
• There are approximately 2,500 active concealed carry instructors across the state.