The state of Connecticut in 2016 had an extremely high uptick in the number of gun permits issued, recent reports reveal.

According to WTIC-TV's account of a Norwich Bulletin report, state police issued 30,000 pistol permits last year — an increase of 73 percent — from 2015 when 17,000 permits were issued.

Gun owners told the Bulletin that they attribute the increase to fears that then-Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was going to win the White House, and that this would embolden Connecticut's Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy to seek increased gun restrictions.

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During her campaign, Clinton said that she was going to "tackle the gun lobby" on day one of her presidency. She also praised New York Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, who would go on to be named the Senate minority leader, for being "one of the most effective legislators in taking on the gun lobby."

Those remarks reportedly inspired increased gun ownership at a rate the state had not seen since 2013, shortly after then President Barack Obama — who also promised to bring about stricter regulations on firearms — had been re-elected. Nearly 26,700 permits had been issued during that year.

Connecticut has some of  the strictest gun laws in the nation, with a permit being required to obtain not only a license but also to buy and carry a sidearm.

[graphiq id="144JtUln6bb" title="Gun laws in Connecticut" width="500" height="487" url="https://w.graphiq.com/w/144JtUln6bb" ]