The Minnesota Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA) released the 2025 Permit to Carry Report, which contains data submitted by Minnesota law enforcement agencies regarding applications made for handgun carry permits as well as data about permit holders. The annual report is required by Minnesota law.
Minnesota saw more firearms permits issued in 2025 than in 2024. Minnesota sheriffs reported to the BCA that 75,782 permits were applied for and that they issued 65,961 permits in 2025.

Year Permits issued
2025 65,961
2024 57,248
2023 65,215
2022 65,257
2021 106,488
2020 96,554

The top five counties for five-year permits issued by sheriffs in 2025 are:
County Permits issued
Hennepin 8,063
Anoka 4,665
Dakota 4,525
Washington 3,579
Ramsey 3,529

Sheriffs reported there were 261 permits suspended, 49 revoked, 1,331 voided and 751 denied in 2025. Nine permits were revoked because the person was the subject of an Extreme Risk Protection Order.
Crimes committed by permit holders
Minnesota sheriffs reported that individuals with permits committed 5,647 crimes in 2025. This is the highest number since the state’s Personal Protection Act was enacted in 2003, but the percentage of permit holders who committed a crime (1 percent) was consistent with recent years.
• Less than 3 percent were crimes where firearms were used in furtherance of a crime.
• Just over 55 percent were DWIs or other traffic offenses.
• Twenty-four percent were from the “Other” category, which includes both less serious offenses such as city ordinance violations and Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) hunting, fishing and recreational vehicle violations, and less common but more serious offenses such as stalking and riot.
As of today, the total number of valid permits in Minnesota is 375,551.
The Permit to Carry Report contains data on permits to carry a firearm. Minnesota does not track permits to purchase firearms.