Kootenai County Commissioner David Stewart is a concealed weapons permit holder and frequently carries a sidearm to public meetings. (Coeur d'Alene Press photo: Shawn Gust)

The Kootenai County Sheriff's Office completed processing 2,830 concealed weapons permit applications last year, which is 10 times more than seven years earlier. The number of permit applications increased every year since 2007, except from 2013 to 2014, when the number decreased by 3 percent. The numbers provided Monday by the sheriff's office to The Press are the numbers of permits approved each year, except for those applications submitted in December or later that are still being processed for approval. "It's crazy how much they've increased since 2007," said Undersheriff Dan Mattos. According to the numbers, 2,830 were processed last year, compared with 2,928 approved in 2013. There were 293 approved in 2007. The numbers show more people taking action to ensure their personal safety/David Cole, Coeur d'Alene Press. More here.

Question: Is Kootenai County safer as a result of all those guns out there?