The Sedgwick County Commission voted last week to spend $64,000 in tax payer money on an area for gun lockers in the courthouse lobby. Chairman Jim Howell says the idea was motivated by concerned citizens who said they wanted to carry their firearms to the courthouse door for protection.

"As they visit our building they say it frustrates them that they've got to leave the gun in their car. They don't feel safe between the car and the courthouse," said Howell.

Howell says dozens of people contacted him, concerned about disarming outside the courthouse. He says those conversations led to the decision to go forward with the project.

We filed open records requests to get emails to any commissioners about gun lockers or disarming outside the courthouse. The records show no one contacted them about the issue until after it was already on the meeting agenda.

Howell says he does not have a record of anyone requesting a service such as a gun locker in the courthouse lobby.

In more than a dozen emails three supported the idea of gun lockers, most opposed it. Some said they didn't have a problem with the idea but didn't want their tax dollars paying for it.

Howell says the emails are not an accurate representation of the people in Sedgwick County.

"There are some people out there who don't like guns and don't like other people to have guns, and they are very vocal," said Howell.

Howell told us he can recall certain people he's had conversations with about this issue, but says he will not release their names because they were private conversations. Emails show Howell started researching gun lockers back in December of 2015.

Howell says it is still possible the commissioners will choose to charge a small fee for checking a gun in the courthouse lobby. That could offset some of the construction cost.