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Very few concealed handgun licenses revoked statewide PDF Print E-mail
Written by Jeff Garvas   
Monday, 14 August 2006

Very few readers of this website will be surprised to hear that very few of the licenses issued to carry a concealed handgun have been revoked. We've known this would be the case and it has proven to be the case every time the Attorney General's office releases its annual report on concealed carry. Over the weekend, the Associated Press wrote a story about it and newspapers across the State of Ohio have picked it up. This year, more than half of the revocations statewide came from Cuyahoga County after an instructor's method of teaching the live fire course was determined to be unacceptable.

Statistics from the article back up the claim:
• In 2004, when the concealed carry law took effect, 45,497 permits were issued, 78 suspended and 42 revoked.
• In 2005, 22,487 permits were issued, 219 suspended and 75 revoked.
• In the first three months of 2006, 5,546 permits were issued, 94 suspended and 100 revoked.
These suspension and revocation numbers pale in comparison to the percentage of driver's licenses suspended or revoked in the same time frames, but critics and supporters of the law alike had something to say about the low numbers.

From the AP story:
"Those with the concealed carry licenses have been good, law-abiding citizens," said Robert Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association. "The worst-case scenarios that were put out there about the gunfight at the OK Corral didn't come to fruition."
Despite concerns by those opposed to the concealed carry law, the law itself outlines what should or should not warrant a suspension or revocation. Opponents are just upset that they can't tie the reason to an individual:
"I look at the stats and it doesn't tell me a lot, because it doesn't tell why they were suspended," said Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence.
Licenses in Ohio are revoked if you leave the state, or if a protection order is issued against a license holder. In Ohio, that can happen simply by filing for divorce.
State Rep. James Aslanides, a Republican from Coshocton who was chief sponsor of the legislation allowing Ohioans to carry concealed guns, has opposed the public release of any information about license holders, saying it endangers them and their families.

"I have argued that records are too open when it comes to those who have the licenses, but whether they are too closed on revocations and suspensions is another argument," he said. "I'd rather have journalists have access to the revocations and suspensions than information about all license holders."
We know the overall percentage numbers for revocations will remain low, and that the mass suspensions in Cuyahoga County are an unusual occurrence, so Representative Aslanides might be on to something here that would appease the opponents and continue to bolster the point that the miniscule number of revocations are derived mostly from innocent acts such as moving out of the State of Ohio or getting a divorce. The number of suspensions that are reversed would be interesting information too.