For the first time, more than 200,000 Minnesotans now hold carry permits, and state data show that more permit holders are younger and female, according to a gun rights advocacy group's analysis of monthly state data.

As of August 1, nearly 201,000 Minnesotans -- about 1 in 20 eligible adults -- have permits to carry a pistol in public places, according to the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance. The data was released by the Minnesota Department of Public Safety.

It showed that the rate of women and those younger than 50 has grown since 2010. Five years ago, less than 12 percent of permit holders were women and about 30 percent were 50 or younger.

Since then, female permit holders have grown to 19 percent and those younger than 50 grew to slightly more than 35 percent. The gun rights advocacy group credits the growth to a 2003 law that allows adults 21 and older to secure a permit after training and multiple background screenings.