TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) – The state attorney general says there was a recent “steep decline” in Kansas in the number of applications for concealed carry permits.

Attorney General Derek Schmidt said Thursday in a release that between July 1, 2015, and June 30, 2016, the Concealed Carry Licensing Unit received 5,874 applications. The Kansas City Star reports that’s a decrease of more than 40 percent from the more than 9,800 applications filed the previous fiscal year.

The number of applications surged after a legislative change in 2015 that allowed eligible Kansans to carry concealed without a license. More than 93,000 Kansans have active concealed carry licenses.
Kansas licenses are currently recognized in 37 states.