Police: 2014 Concealed-Carry Permits in Illinois Top 91,000

Illinois State Police say more than 91,000 concealed-carry permits have been issued statewide since the state began allowing guns to be carried in public a year ago.

State police say 91,651 permits had been granted by the end of 2014.

Cook County, which includes Chicago, led the way with almost 24,000 permits, or more than one-quarter of Illinois' total. Suburan DuPage County was a distant second, with nearly 5,600 permits.

Illinois in 2013 became the last state in the nation to sign off on allowing concealed carry.

State police say the number of permits issued last year in Illinois peaked at about 18,000 in both March and April before sharply declining. Last month, about 5,000 permits were approved.

The state denied more than 2,300 applications.