With Illinois’ new concealed carry laws come new people applying for the concealed carry permit — and a surprisingly large number of those applications are coming from women.

Illinois State Police told WGNtv.com in Chicago that close to 12 percent of the concealed carry applications coming in to the state are from women.

Nationwide the number of women who owned guns spiked to 23 percent in 2011, compared to 13 percent in a 2005 according to the latest Gallup poll on the topic.

Nearly 7,500 concealed carry applications have been filed for in Illinois by women, compared to more than 57,000 applications from men. However, WGNtv reported that the percentage of women applicants is expected to rise.

The concealed carry law in Illinois requires 16 hours of firearms training before a permit can be issued.