Some People Shouldn’t Carry Guns: An Analysis of MN BCA Permit to Carry Reports 2006-2016.
Protect Minnesota analyzed Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) reports on permit to carry applications submitted by the Sheriff’s department in each Minnesota county for the years 2006-2016. Here are our findings:
Over the 10-year period, 2006-2016
- Total permit to carry applications in the
State of Minnesota — 364,171 - Total Approved — 359,830 (98.8%)
- Total Denied, Suspended, Revoked, Voided,
or Cancelled — 4,341 (1.2%)
Analysis of Reasons for Denials
Of the total number of denials in this time period
(4,341), Sheriff departments provided the BCA
with specific reasons for 2,323. Those reasons
break down into the following categories:
Denial Reason % of total
- Suicide/Suicidal Threats 32.82%
- Criminal Assault 24.32%
- Conflict with Law Enforcement 14.45%
- Firearms Violations 11.42%
- Domestic Abuse 10.89%
- Terroristic Threats 2.12%
- Predatory/Stalking/Sex Crimes 2.02%
- Child Abuse 1.96%
| Year | Denied | Suspended | Revoked | Voided | Cancelled | Total permits applied for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | 177 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 9 | 9611 |
| 2007 | 194 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 7 | 9327 |
| 2008 | 269 | 6 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 21646 |
| 2009 | 374 | 19 | 1 | 12 | 7 | 22378 |
| 2010 | 321 | 7 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 17240 |
| 2011 | 247 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 22136 |
| 2012 | 285 | 9 | 2 | 6 | 15 | 33816 |
| 2013 | 540 | 28 | 11 | 18 | 27 | 62950 |
| 2014 | 422 | 15 | 6 | 22 | 12 | 43315 |
| 2015 | 426 | 14 | 7 | 46 | 13 | 47872 |
| 2016 | 585 | 21 | 3 | 67 | 23 | 73880 |
| TOTAL | 3840 | 137 | 42 | 191 | 131 | 364171 |
The table scrolls right, simply slide it.
Protect Minnesota has provided each Minnesota legislator and the Governor’s office a list of permit denials in the county or counties where the majority of their constituents reside. We urge all our elected leaders to take into account the following:
- 98.8% of all permit to carry applications are APPROVED. Only 1.2% of permit applications are denied—the vast majority being in Ramsey and Hennepin counties.
- The decision of whether or not to approve a permit falls to local law enforcement, who reflect the values and concerns of the communities they are sworn to protect and serve.
- The reasons that permits are denied are NOT trivial. Do we want these individuals to carry guns in our communities?
- Permits to carry cost $100 and last for 5 years. That’s just $20/year, less than the annual cost of a deer hunting permit. To carry a gun in the woods or empty fields, hunters have to pass a gun safety course—but this Permitless Carry bill will make it easy for anyone to carry a loaded gun in schools, government buildings, college campuses and the State Fair grounds without any gun safety training or even a criminal background check. This bill is unnecessary and dangerous.
The Nash Permitless Carry and Stand Your Ground bills are completely
unnecessary measures that will make Minnesota more dangerous.
- Minnesotans already have the right to use lethal force to defend ourselves and our families from grievous bodily harm. A
study of 20 states that have enacted Stand Your Ground laws showed no evidence of crime deterrence, but homicides in
those states have increased by 8%. (National Bureau of Economic Research) - It is already easy for most Minnesotans to get a permit to carry a loaded gun in our state, and the 1.2% of applicants who
are denied would represent a true threat to public safety. HF188 will also open schools and other sensitive areas to guns. - The Heller decision of 2008 clearly established that states have the right to keep guns out of dangerous hands and sensi-
tive places. “Like all rights, the right secured by the Second Amendment is not unlimited.” — Justice Antonin Scalia
| County | # Denials | County | # Denials |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aitkin | 2 | McLeod | 1 |
| Anoka | 91 | Meeker | 7 |
| Becker | 2 | Mille Lacs | 13 |
| Beltrami | 5 | Morrison | 5 |
| Benton | 13 | Nicolet | 3 |
| Blue Earth | 2 | Nobles | 1 |
| Brown | 2 | Norman | 1 |
| Carver | 13 | Olmsted | 6 |
| Chisago | 4 | Otter Tail | 10 |
| Cook | 1 | Pine | 1 |
| Cottonwood | 1 | Polk | 1 |
| Crow Wing | 4 | Pope | 1 |
| Dakota | 55 | Ramsey | 1056 |
| Douglas | 1 | Redwood | 1 |
| Faribault | 1 | Rice | 21 |
| Freeborn | 3 | Scott | 20 |
| Goodhue | 5 | Sherburne | 7 |
| Grant | 1 | St. Louis | 4 |
| Hennepin | 865 | Stearns | 25 |
| Houston | 2 | Swift | 2 |
| Hubbard | 1 | Todd | 1 |
| Isanti | 10 | Wabasha | 1 |
| Kanabec | 9 | Wadena | 1 |
| Koochiching | 1 | Washington | 15 |
| Lac Qui Parle | 1 | Winona | 1 |
| Le Sueur | 11 | Wright | 12 |
Comparative State Gun Death Rates — These bills will NOT make Minnesota safer!
