Oddly, an issue of Personal & Home Defense from back in January contains the following line in the preface to its tables of various firearms:
“. . . with California, Alabama, New York, Delaware, Hawaii, and Washington DC being the most difficult states in which to obtain a CCW permit.”
You have to wonder where they got their information, since they (1) don't mention the two worst states, New Jersey and Maryland; (2) ignore the fact that many sheriffs in non-coastal California do issue permits; (3) include Delaware but omit the more restrictive states of Massachusetts and Rhode Island; (4) and confuse NY State with NY City. The inclusion of Alabama as a "difficult" state is of course ridiculous.
(They did cover Illinois, but this was written before the state changed its laws.)