Illinois is up 113,732 concealed carry licenses as of the first week of June. It’s not the 400,000 the state expected in the first year, but it’s a start.
Guess which county has the most concealed carry licenses per capita?
Where does your county stand?
If you live in DeWitt County, you’re not alone in carrying a firearm for self-defense.
DeWitt County has a special place in the hearts of many of our Guns Save Life family.
It is the home to the DeWitt County Sportsman’s Club, to which more than a few of us belong.
Guns Save Life helped rescue the club after one of its previous officers absconded (cough. allegedly. cough.) with the club’s finances *and* the membership list. The club’s title had been sold for taxes and well over a year after that happened, the title’s holder was mere weeks from getting a clear title and deed to the property. Oh yeah, and the club’s checking account was overdrawn by almost $100.
Three of that club’s long-time members approached GSL for help. We offered expert engineering and operational recommendations and extended a line of credit. Most importantly, we put the word out that the club was in distress, under new management and seeking members.
A year later, the club was cleaned up and a front gate installed. It was hosting all manner of classes and events and had a strong leadership team and membership had swollen to easily three times what their previous membership was believed to have been.
Three years after they approached us, there have been massive improvements and growth in the club, including re-making a second berm for shooting, adding an archery bay, and a new roof, new lights, new heating and air conditioning, new kitchen appliances and still more improvements are slated this summer. Even better, they are approaching a cap in membership – the first time ever.
Did I mention their zombie shoot? With reactive target heads?
With all the good things flowing out of this small, but mighty range in DeWitt County, it’s not surprising that DeWitt County has the most concealed carry licenses per capita in Illinois. 53.55/1000 residents. More than one in twenty (almost one in nineteen) people living there have a license and are carrying a gun on a regular basis. Take the under 21s out of that equation (and the criminal element) and you’ve got a lot of people packing in any given gathering.
It ain’t Texas, or Kentucky, but it’s about as close as we come to that in the last state to enact right-to-carry.
That’s one of the reasons DeWitt County and it’s county seat of Clinton is so safe and bucolic.
When was the last weekend you heard about 4 people getting murdered and another dozen or two more getting shot over a weekend in DeWitt County, as just happened in in Chicago?
How many shootings happened in DeWitt County over the Memorial Day weekend holiday? Pretty close to zero is the answer, but not for Chicago, which had 12 killed and another 43 wounded that particular weekend.
Other notables:
If you suspected Cook County had the least number of licenses, per capita, you would be el-wrongo.
There’s one county with half as many per capita as Cook.
DeKalb.
We’re not sure what’s up there. Only 2.76 per 1000 have licenses in DeKalb County.
Cook comes in #2 though at 5.76. There’s one thing Cook County comes in #1 though: Objections. One in 52 licenses is successfully (to date at least) objected to.
Here’s some of the raw date, courtesy Reboot Illinois:
Top 25 counties with the most Illinois concealed carry license holders per 1,000 people
25. Marion County – 16.85
- Active – 650
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
24. Crawford County – 17.33
- Active – 336
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 1
23. Douglas County – 17.35
- Active – 345
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 2
- Suspended – 1
22. Tazewell County – 17.41
- Active – 2,363
- Denied – 11
- Revoked – 7
- Suspended – 1
21. Grundy County – 17.45
- Active – 880
- Denied – 9
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
20. Alexander County – 17.62
- Active – 132
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
19. Woodford County – 18.60
- Active – 729
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 1
18. Wabash County – 18.62
- Active – 215
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
17. Franklin County – 18.88
- Active – 744
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
16. Clark County – 19.16
- Active – 310
- Denied – 4
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
15. Piatt County – 19.23
- Active – 316
- Denied – 3
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
14. Wayne County – 19.40
- Active – 321
- Denied – 6
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
13. Hamilton County – 19.53
- Active – 162
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
12. Jasper County – 20.16
- Active – 194
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
11. Jefferson County – 20.40
- Active – 786
- Denied – 6
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
10. Pulaski County – 20.81
- Active – 121
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
9. Edwards County – 21.31
- Active – 141
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
8. Union County – 21.44
- Active – 374
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
7. Williamson County – 23.42
- Active – 1,569
- Denied – 6
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
6. Hardin County – 23.49
- Active – 97
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
5. Menard County – 23.55
- Active – 296
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
4. Johnson County – 23.97
- Active – 302
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
3. Pope County – 24.32
- Active – 104
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
2. White County – 25.53
- Active – 367
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
1. DeWitt County – 53.55
- Active – 872
- Denied – 3
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
Top 25 counties with fewest concealed carry license holders per 1,000 people
25. Hancock County – 10.94
- Active – 203
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
24. Carroll County – 10.74
- Active – 158
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
23. McDonough County – 10.57
- Active – 337
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 2
- Suspended – 0
22. McHenry County – 10.23
- Active – 3,142
- Denied – 15
- Revoked – 5
- Suspended – 4
21. Bureau County – 10.20
- Active – 345
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
20. Kendall County – 10.19
- Active – 1,237
- Denied – 12
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 1
19. Henderson County – 10.12
- Active -70
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 2
- Suspended – 0
18. Knox County – 10.04
- Active – 523
- Denied – 9
- Revoked – 11
- Suspended – 0
17. Scott County – 9.99
- Active – 52
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
16. Adams County – 9.99
- Active – 669
- Denied – 4
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
15. McLean County – 9.40
- Active – 1,637
- Denied – 18
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 1
14. Stephenson County – 9.24
- Active – 429
- Denied – 4
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 1
13. Brown County – 9.22
- Active – 63
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
12. Boone County – 9.17
- Active – 494
- Denied – 2
- Revoked – 1
- Suspended – 0
11. Winnebago County – 9.03
- Active – 2,606
- Denied – 17
- Revoked – 3
- Suspended – 1
10. Henry County – 8.64
- Active – 429
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
9. Champaign County – 8.20
- Active – 1,699
- Denied – 7
- Revoked – 3
- Suspended – 0
8. Whiteside County – 7.51
- Active – 427
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 2
- Suspended – 1
7. DuPage County – 7.42
- Active – 6,923
- Denied – 70
- Revoked – 10
- Suspended – 4
6. Lake County – 7.34
- Active – 5,179
- Denied – 47
- Revoked – 11
- Suspended – 5
5. Jo Daviees County – 6.88
- Active – 153
- Denied – 0
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
4. Kane County – 6.72
- Active – 3,544
- Denied – 28
- Revoked – 8
- Suspended – 4
3. Rock Island County – 6.18
- Active – 903
- Denied – 6
- Revoked – 3
- Suspended – 1
2. Cook County – 5.70
- Active – 29,926
- Denied – 566
- Revoked – 80
- Suspended – 32
1. DeKalb County – 2.76
- Active – 291
- Denied – 1
- Revoked – 0
- Suspended – 0
Statewide totals:
- Active – 113,732
- Denied – 1,125
- Revoked – 230
- Suspended – 79
The count at the first of the year was about 100k issued, give or take a couple thousand.
That means 13k licenses issued in the first six months of 2015.
If this rate holds, we’ll have 125k licenses by year’s end.
It’s no wonder business is extremely slow for CCW classes. Especially when you consider there are 2800 instructors in IL today… up from 42 practicing pre-2012.
John