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There are almost 500,000 active concealed pistol licenses among Michigan's 10 million residents.

(MLive file photo)

Fifteen years after Michigan changed its law to make it easier to get a license to carry a concealed weapon, there were 497,016 active licenses on file as of Dec. 1, according to data compiled by the Michigan State Police.

That's equivalent to 7 percent of Michigan's adult population.

Last month, the rules changed again making it a little easier still.

Before 2001, Michigan licenses to carry a concealed weapon were issued at the discretion of county gun boards. On July 1, 2001, the law to require gun boards to grant permits to those over 21 with no record of felonies or certain misdemeanors. Applicants also had to show no history of mental illness and take a certified gun-safety course.

Gun boards could deny a permit if they determined the license would be detrimental to the safety of the applicant or any other person.

In the most recent reform, which was signed into law in March and took effect Dec. 1, county gun boards have been eliminated. County clerks and the Michigan State Police are now responsible for processing concealed weapon applications.

Database: CCW permits by county

The new law also cuts the number of days the county and state agencies will have to process applications. Under the new law, applications are to be processed within 45 days instead of the eight weeks in the past. In addition, if the paperwork isn't processed within the 45-day period, applicants can use their application receipts received by the clerk's office as proof of certification.

Here are some facts from state data about concealed pistol licenses in Michigan.

1. The number of active concealed license permits has almost doubled over the past five years.

Before the law changed in 2001, about 52,000 people had a license to carry a concealed weapon. In many counties, such permits were limited to retired police officers, cash couriers and others with a specific need.

By July 2011, the law's 10th anniversary, the number of active permits totaled about 276,000.

Since then, it has increased by another 221,000, thanks to a surge of applications between July 2012 and June 2013, according to the state's annual 2012-13 CCW report.

A possible reason for the spike in applications: After President Obama's 2012 re-election, there were numerous reports nationwide of a sharp rise in gun sales, driven by fear of tighter gun regulations.

2. As the number of applicants has soared, so has the number of applications being denied and licenses being revoked.

According to the state's most recent annual CPL report, which covers July 1, 2013, to June 30, 2014, application denials were up 74 percent since 2010-11, from 1,604 to 2,801, and revocations more than tripled from 466 to 1,563.

During that same period, applications increased 36 percent, from 84,827 to 115,601.

Of applications denied in 2013-14, about half were denied a license because of their criminal record and most of the remainder were denied by a county board for reasons described as "other."

There also were 50 applications denied because of mental health issues; 11 who were subject to a protection order; 10 who were not U.S. citizens and four who hadn't completed their eight hours of safety training.

Of permits revoked in 2013-14, about three-quarters resulted from a criminal conviction, and most of the remainder involved either a pending criminal charge or the issuance of a personal protection order against the permit holder.

3. Between July 2013 and June 2014, 4,421 persons holding a concealed pistol license were arrested on some criminal charge.

That's about 1 percent of those with a CCW permit, although the 2013-14 report notes it was missing some or all violation information from six counties: Macomb, Wexford, Iron, Arenac, Baraga and Delta.

The arrests that were reported ranged from minor offenses such as reckless driving or not wearing hunter orange to violent felonies, including seven homicides and more than 50 cases of criminal sexual conduct.

Of those 4,421 arrests, 2,067 persons were convicted or "held responsible" for the offense, according to the state report.

The report also indicates that 907 were carrying a gun when the offense was committed, 1,782 were not carrying a gun and in 1,732 cases, the presence of a gun is unknown.

4. In relation to the size of population, CCW permits are most common in rural counties.

Those are seven counties where 10 percent or more of adults have a CPL: Mackinac, Alger, Lapeer, Dickinson, Montmorency, Alcona and Keweenaw.

The rate of CCW permits in the metro Detroit counties of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb is slightly above the state average.

5. A majority of the active permits have been obtained in the past four years.

Of the 497,016 active permits, 217,179 have been renewed at least once and 279,837 are new licenses, according to the State Police reports.

Once a permit is granted, it is good for four years from the applicant's birthday following the approval.

Over the years, a total of 106,917 people have allowed their permits to expire, the latest State Police report says.

6. It took a median time of 1 minute and 36 seconds for a CPL applicant to obtain FBI clearance, according to the 2013-14 report.

The shortest time was 30 seconds, according to the report, and the longest time was 45 days.

The report also notes the average cost per permit was $50.

Julie Mack is a reporter for MLive.com. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.

Data Mine is a regular feature by MLive that examines data relevant to Michigan.

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