Dakota County Issues Record Number Of Gun Permits In 2020

DAKOTA COUNTY, MN—Dakota County issued 7,754 gun permits in 2020, a record high compared to numbers in prior years, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety announced in its annual permit to carry report.

In Minnesota overall, 96,554 permits were issued—nearly double the number of permits issued in 2019(51,404), the report said.

Five counties topped the list for most permits issued in 2020. Dakota County nearly topped the list, coming in second place behind Hennepin County, which issued 11,346 permits, the report said.

In Minnesota overall, the report said that people with permits committed 3,110 crimes in 2020. Of those crimes:

• Firearms were used to further less than two percent of crimes.
• Over 51 percent of the crimes committed were DWIs or other traffic offenses.
• 30 percent of crimes fell into the "other" category which includes city ordinance violations, and DNR hunting, fishing, and recreational vehicle violations.

As of March 1, the Department of Public Safety said that Minnesotans possess a total of 358,897 valid permits.

You can read the full report here.