It's true in areas without "shall issue" laws, that it can vary according to the whims of each police department that issues them. It used to be that way in Oregon. Some liberal counties would just say "We aren't issuing any", but the permit could be gotten in another county ans was good statewide.
When I was living in the Charlotte, NC area a few years back, I used to play hockey at a rink that was in the basement of a shopping mall. The mall was in a bad section of town and we played late at night and the parking garage was known to be dangerous even in the daytime, so I started packing some heat (I love saying that:) in my hockey bag. The mall had a ban on firearms on the premises, so out of curiosity, I looked up what the charge would be if I got caught.
Get this: if caught with a concealed weapon in a place where firearms are banned it was a misdemeanor unless you had a CC permit. It that case it was a felony.
Moral of the story was a CC permit could do more harm than good.
If you passed the background check,took the course and range time test, paid the fee, then they had to give you a permit/license. This part of Ohio is very liberal. Hangouts from the glory days of steel mills/unions. Signs went up everywhere after the law was passed. Business soon learned that it was in their best interest, to take them down. The local newspaper even published license holders names and County! Our wonderful Govenor put that clause in.