Minnesota concealed carry permit applications for January 2026 were “nearly double” what they were in January 2025, according to CBS News.
There were 4,734 permit applications in January 2025 and 8,240 in January 2026.
The rush for carry permits is coinciding with a surge in gun sales in and around Minnesota’s Twin Cities. Employees at one gun store told CBS News their sales were up 30 percent.
MRC Newsbusters pointed to a report published by the Minnesota Star Tribune which indicated that “Twin Cities gun sales have seen their largest year-over-year leap since the pandemic, with some cities experiencing double or even triple the demand compared to the same time last year.”
The Star Tribune observed, “The data, as well as interviews with gun store owners and gun safety instructors, indicate the increase is largely being driven by first-time buyers.”
The gun sales appear to be driven by fears arising from unrest in the streets, concerns about ICE raids, and anti-Second Amendment political rhetoric.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and the director of global marketing for Lone Star Hunts. He holds a PhD in Military History with a focus on the Vietnam War (brown water navy), U.S. Navy since Inception, the Civil War, and Early Modern Europe. He enjoys reading Philosophy and novels by Jack Carr and Nelson DeMille. Follow him on X: @awrhawkins. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.