(GunReports.com) — The number of concealed weapons permits in Florida is nearing the one million mark, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture Consumer Services Division of Licensing, which monitors them.
So far, Florida recorded 952,415 active concealed weapons permits. Miami-Dade County had the most concealed licenses with 84,940; Broward County followed second at 74,439. On the low side was Lafayette County with 220, followed by Liberty County with 234. Glades had 352 of the permits.
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who operates the gun permit program, said his office is issuing between 10,000 and 15,000 permits every month, the story stated.
“At the rate at which we are processing permits, we will in the next six weeks to two months likely reach the one million mark of valid permits in activity,” he said in a recorded statement. Putnam said Florida has seen increasing demand for gun permits in recent years.
“What was thought of to be a spike has really turned out to be a prolonged period of peak demand,” he said.
About 6,955 gun permits were revoked out of 2.22 million issued since Oct. 1, 1987. Records showed 168 permits were revoked for gun-related crimes. Also 6,234 were revoked for other crimes after licensure.
Records showed 122 were revoked for other issues and 754 were reinstated since 1990, when reinstatement records began being recorded.
Of the 2,260,949 permit applications received, 2,227,360 licenses were issued. Records show that 15,500 were denied – 5,190 because of criminal history and 10,310 because the applications were incomplete.
Between 2011 and 2012 the department received 151,883 new application requests and 66,974 renewal applications.
Of those the department issued 148,548 new licenses and renewed 66,511 concealed weapons licenses.
