Some recent news stories on permit numbers

Big increase in Washtenaw County (Ann Arbor), Michigan concealed handgun permits.

more county residents applied for CCW permits in the first three months of 2010 than did in all of 2006 or 2007.

The average number of applications per month so far this year – 230 – dwarfs the monthly averages for most of the past five years (54 in 2006; 45 in 2007; 98 in 2008; and 188 in 2009, a year when many permit holders were renewing.)

In 2004, that first renewal year, the average was 85 per month – a total of 1,025 for the year. [.pdf file of Washtenaw County CCW applications, by month, from 2004 through April 2010.]

About 15% of the permit holders in Washtenaw County are women, Milligan says. The greatest concentrations of permit holders are in rural parts of the county.

With a population about 4,967 and 437 permits, for example, nearly 9% of the residents of Chelsea can carry concealed weapons. Assuming one permit holder per household, that means there’s a CCW permit holder in about 20% of the occupied households (2,093) in Chelsea.

About 23% of the permits countywide are issued to Ann Arbor residents, and 33% to residents of Ypsilanti and Ypsilanti Township. With their larger populations, that means about 1.6% of Ann Arbor residents and 3.3% of Ypsilanti area residents hold permits. [Those figures are approximate, as data from the county gun licensing board is broken down by mailing addresses, which are imperfect reflections of actual community boundaries. Link to listing of CCW permits by location, as of April 2010.] . . .

From Massachusetts.

A record number of Americans are licensed to carry a concealed weapon. And Massachusetts is following the trend. A local gun maker is helping residents navigate gun laws and teaching them safety.
The "right to carry" movement began in the 1980's. Since then, the number of licensed gun carriers, according to the NRA, has increased from fewer than a million to 6 million today. At Smith & Wesson Academy in Springfield, firearms instructors are seeing increased interest.
Senior Firearms Instructor Jason Bathgate says "We are seeing a lot more people apply lately for licenses to carry. Lately meaning maybe the past year or so, classes are filling up. It's the first time in a long time that we've actually had to close classes because they are full."
In Massachusetts, people who to carry a firearm are required to go through an eight hour course taught by a state certified instructor, like the ones at Smith & Wesson. . . . .

Permits are declining in Butler County, PA.

After going great guns for several years, applications among Butler County residents for what's commonly known as a "gun permit" appear to be tapering off.

Sheriff Mike Slupe, who took office in January, said statistics for the first quarter of this year are the lowest they've been in the past five years.

Between Jan. 1 and April 6, 684 residents either renewed or received a license for the first time. The figures for the same period were 1,933 in 2009; 1,935 in 2008; 2,336 in 2007; and 889 in 2006.

Annual figures were 3,566 in 2009; 3,983 in 2008; 5,032 in 2007; and 2,253 in 2006. If this year's first-quarter numbers continue at the same pace, the total for 2010 would be 2,052. . . .