Ohio attorney general: 77,159 concealed-carry permits issued in 2025

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Feb. 27 issued Ohio’s annual report on concealed handgun licensing, showing that a total of 77,159 permits were issued in the state in 2025.

From Yost's news release:

According to the statistics reported to the Attorney General’s Office, county sheriffs issued 13,876 new licenses and 63,283 renewals. Permit holders who wish to renew their licenses must do so every five years.

On June 13, 2022, changes to the law allowed qualifying Ohioans to carry a concealed handgun without a permit while also preserving the permitting system [See BFA's article].

Under Ohio law, county sheriffs are responsible for issuing concealed-carry licenses and renewing them, as well as suspending and revoking licenses. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office compiles this annual report, as required by law, about the number of licenses issued each year.

Each sheriff must report concealed handgun license statistics quarterly to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office. Ohio county sheriffs began issuing concealed-carry licenses in 2004.

Valuable resource: Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States

If you own or carry a gun, don't dare travel out of your state without The Traveler's Guide to the Firearm Laws of the Fifty States!

Read the book before you travel. Pack it with your gun gear. Keep a copy in your vehicle. Use it as a reference so you'll know what to expect when you approach a state line.