Wisconsin issued its 200,000th permit to carry a concealed gun yesterday, a month shy of the controversial program’s two-year anniversary.
State Department of Justice officials aren't surprised at the interest in concealed carry permits, and say the biggest glitch right now is that the legislature lowered the permit fee in the last state budget from $50 to $40. The lower fee can delay a permit because the agency can't make change.
Division of Law Enforcement Services Administrator Brian O'Keefe says they expect interest in the concealed carry permits to continue for at least the next year. “The response from Wisconsin citizens has continued to be very robust, very enthusiastic,” he says. “We're still receiving between 500 and 1,000 applications a week.”
O'Keefe isn't sure how many permits have been denied since the process began, but he says just short of 2,000 permits have been denied so far this year. Reasons for denial vary from being younger than 21, to living out-of-state, to being convicted of a felony or domestic violence.
