(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Attorney General Dave Yost today issued Ohio’s annual report on concealed handgun licensing, showing that a total of 89,782 permits were issued in the state in 2022.
According to the statistics reported to the Attorney General’s Office, county sheriffs issued 27,031 new licenses and 62,751 renewals. Permit holders who wish to renew their licenses must do so every five years. This is a significant drop since 2021 with 94,298 in 2021 – a decrease of about 71%.
Likewise, license renewals totaled 62,751, compared with 108,622 in 2021 – a 42% decrease
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.
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.
Ohio law gives the attorney general the right to negotiate concealed-carry reciprocity agreements with other states. Under such agreements, Ohio and other states agree to respect each other’s concealed-carry laws and recognize each other’s permit holders.
Effective March 23, 2015, Ohio recognizes the concealed-handgun license of any non-resident who has a valid concealed-handgun license from any other state, regardless of whether Ohio has entered into a reciprocity agreement with that state. Because of Ohio’s recognition of those licenses, the attorney general has confirmed automatic reciprocity for Ohio license holders with several additional states.
Ohio permit holders have reciprocity with 39 states, either by reciprocity agreement or by automatic reciprocity. The 11 states that DO NOT have reciprocity with Ohio are:
• California
• Connecticut
• Hawaii
• Illinois
• Maryland
• Massachusetts
• Minnesota
• New Jersey
• New York
• Oregon
• Rhode Island
