A record year for permit to carry applications and gun sales
by Trinity Gruenberg
Data shows it was a record year for issuing permits to carry and a record number of guns were sold in 2020.
As of the end of the year, there were 101,897 applications submitted statewide with 96,554 issued. According to FBI data, a record number of guns were sold totaling 958,391, compared to 682,356 in 2019.
The number of applications received and issued more than doubled in 2020 compared to 2019. In 2019, there were 53,310 applications and 51,404 were issued.
Ammunition has also been difficult to obtain with the increased demand.
Todd County received 670 applications with 648 permits issued (547 were new, 101 were renewals) and 15 applications were pending as of December 31. In 2019, they had 384 applications, 151 of those were renewals.
Wadena County had 381 applications, 372 issued permits (325 new, 47 renewed), with six applications pending at the end of 2020. In 2019, they had 194 applications, 45 were renewals.
Todd County Sheriff Steve Och and Wadena County Sheriff Mike Carr both confirmed the record number of permits.
“I believe there is a lot of uncertainty in today’s world and people are exercising their right to apply for a permit to carry,” said Och.
“In 15 years as sheriff, I have seen an increase in permit to carries during presidential election years or when the federal government talks about restricting gun rights,” explained Carr. . .