MARSHALL — The number of Minnesotans applying to carry a handgun has been climbing over the past year, according to data from the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension.

In an annual report released earlier this year, the BCA said more than 75,000 people statewide applied for permits to carry in 2025.

Lyon County has also seen a small spike in permit applications so far this year, said Sheriff Eric Wallen. In the first six months of 2026, there were a total of 135 new permits to carry issued in the county. There were only 84 new permits issued in the first half of 2025.

But at the same time that BCA data showed statewide increases in permit-to-carry applications last year, there haven’t been big increases in the number of people getting permits to carry in the area. The BCA reported that the number of new permits issued in Lyon County last year was down from 2024.

In Minnesota, there were a total of 75,782 applications for permits to carry in 2025, according to an annual report released by the Minnesota BCA. Of those applications, 65,961 were issued permits to carry a handgun.

Both the number of applications and permits to carry that were issued were up from 2024. The BCA reported that year, there were a total of 67,216 applications statewide, and 57,248 permits issued.

In Lyon County, there were 170 new permits to carry issued in 2025, and 91 renewals. An additional 50 renewals and one new permit were pending, the BCA annual report said.

The BCA report said two permits in Lyon County were denied because applicants had been convicted of a crime of violence, and one permit was denied because there was a likelihood that the applicant would be a danger to themselves or to the public. Other permits to carry were void for reasons including the permit holder being subject to an order for protection, or having pending criminal charges, the report said.

The number of new permits to carry issued in Lyon County last year was down from 2024, when there were 187 permits issued. There were 73 permit renewals in 2024.

The number of new gun permits issued last year was also down from 2020, when there were 340 issued.

“We did have a little spike” in permits to carry in the first quarter of 2026, Wallen said. From January to March, there were a total of 68 new permits issued in Lyon County, and 47 renewals. In the second quarter of 2026, there were an additional 67 new permits and 51 renewals.

Wallen said some of the fluctuations in the numbers of permit applications and renewals in Lyon County could be connected to the timing of when firearms safety training courses were available. Minnesota laws require people applying for a permit to carry to show they have received training from a certified instructor within a year of their application or renewal.

A permit to carry a handgun is valid for five years, Wallen said.

Other southwest Minnesota counties also had some changes in the number of new permits to carry that were issued over the past couple of years.

In Murray and Redwood Counties, the number of new permits to carry issued in 2025 was up from the previous year, according to BCA annual reports. Murray County had 90 new permits issued last year, compared to 79 in 2024. Redwood County reported 159 new permits, compared to 128 in 2024.

Pipestone County and Yellow Medicine County saw a decrease in new permits in 2025. Pipestone County went from 90 permits issued in 2024 to 69 in 2025. Yellow Medicine County went from 103 new permits issued in 2024, to 78 in 2025.

In Lincoln County, the number of new permits to carry issued stayed the same, with 55 permits issued in both 2025 and 2024.

Local law enforcement also takes applications to purchase firearms. Applications are handled by city police departments, or by the county Sheriff’s Office for rural residents or residents of cities that don’t have police, Wallen said.

The number of permit to purchase applications the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office went down over the past couple years, Wallen said. The number of permits to buy a gun went from 339 in 2024, to 128 in 2025. So far this year, there have been 66 permits issued, he said.

Within the city of Marshall, applications for permits to purchase firearms have been on a downward trend since 2020, said Marshall Public Safety Director Jim Marshall.

“It’s stayed pretty consistent, and actually dropped over the years,” he said.

In 2020, a total of 201 permits to purchase firearms were issued in Marshall, Marshall said. The number of permits issued dropped to 155 in 2021, and got down to 101 in 2024. Last year, there were 107 permits issued in Marshall, and so far this year there have been 46 permits issued, he said.

Marshall said many of the permits to purchase firearms issued to Marshall residents were the same individuals from year to year. The permits need to be renewed each year, he said.

Marshall said he wasn’t sure why the number of applications for firearms permits in 2020 were as high as they were.