BRANCH COUNTY, MI (WTVB) - In the aftermath of the shooting massacre of children and adults at a Connecticut school in December and the subsequent nationwide push for tighter gun laws, the total of new and renewed applications in Branch County to carry a concealed weapons nearly quadrupled last month compared to January 2012. This year in January, the application number was 109 compared to just 31 a year ago.

The Branch County Clerk’s office today said the total number of people in the county licensed to carry a concealed weapon is 1,676.