Which County Has Most Gun Permits?

UPDATED THROUGH MAY 30, 2012: When it comes to gun permits, Manatee County does not rank high, nor does its neighbor, Sarasota County.

• The No. 1 Florida county for the sheer number of people licensed to carry concealed weapons is, not surprisingly, Miami-Dade County, which has a national reputation for violent crime. Because of its large population, the number is only 3.3 percent of the overall county population.
• The No. 1 county, with more than 10 percent of the population licensed to carry guns, is rural Dixie, located in the Panhandle, followed by Monroe, located in the Florida Keys, at 7.4 percent.
• Tampa Bay counties with high rankings for concealed gun permits are Hillsborough, at No. 4, for the sheer number, with 46,507 residents licensed to carry them.
• Pinellas County is at No. 7, by sheer number of licensees, with 37,154.
• Both Pinellas and Hillsborough counties fall toward the bottom of counties with the proportion of residents to county population who hold state permits to carry concealed weapons. Hillsborough ranks 53, with 3.7 percent of its population, and Pinellas is at 47, with 4 percent of its population licensed to carry concealed weapons.

Manatee gun ownership numbers

Manatee County has 13,330 residents licensed to carry concelaed weapons, according to state records through May 30, 2012, the most recent data available.

Manatee ranks 17 out of 67 counties by the sheer number of residents licensed.

Gun laws in Florida are being debated in the Legislature in the aftermath of the shooting of Trayvon Martin, an unarmed teenager in Sanford. Gun control advocates are arguing to overturn the state's "Stand Your Ground" law. Gov. Rick Scott also has formed a committee to host a series of town meetings across Florida about the state law.

Manatee County's ranking falls to 43rd, when it is calculated by the percentage of population licensed to carry concealed permits.

Just over 4 percent of the county population has this special permit. The licensing is done through the Florida Division of Licensing, which is part of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Neighboring Sarasota County, by contrast, has 17,802 residents licensed to carry concealed weapons, placing it 14th among the 67 Florida counties by sheer numbers licensed.

With its lower population, however, Sarasota ranks 36 among Florida counties, or 4.6 percent of its population licensed to carry concealed weapons.