imported post
Snipped from: http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/States-act-to-shield-gun-holders--Ammo-for-debate...-l:781698143.html
April 25, 2008
Last week South Carolina became the latest state to stop making the names of people who have a license to carry a concealed weapon public information.
This year, bills have been introduced in Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Tennessee bill was defeated, West Virginia's bill was tabled, and Virginia's legislative session ended before a bill could be considered. Action is pending in the five other states.
Concealed-weapon records always have been confidential in 26 states according to Colin Weaver, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign [to Promote Gun Violence].
The fight for record privacyintensified last year, partly in response to media outlets in Virginia, Florida and elsewhere posting records online, said South Carolina state Rep. Michael Pitts, a Republican. "People think this one is absolutely a Second Amendment issue, but it's not," said Pitts, a former police officer who introduced his state's bill to close gun-permit records. "It's as much an issue of where does the sunshine on government stop and the protection on individual privacy begin."
The degree to which these records are open or closed varies from state to state, according to an analysis done by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. For example:
*In Texas, the database is closed, but a person can pay a fee and find out whether a specific individual is a licensed gun owner.
*In Ohio, records are confidential, but journalists may request to view the name, county of residence and date of birth of each person to whom the sheriff has issued a license to carry a concealed handgun.
Tennessee state Sen. Mark Norris, a Republican who introduced a bill to close his state's concealed-gun permits records, said the main concern is keeping addresses of permit holders private -- particularly of women who have left abusive relationships and don't want the perpetrator to know where they live.
Ron McIsaac, a concealed-weapons permit holder in South Carolina who uses a wheelchair, said he doesn't like the idea of his address being made public, partly because he thinks burglars might target his home to steal guns, and he feels he needs a gun for protection because of his handicap. "All anybody has to do now is come by and knock me off the chair, and I'm like a turtle who's been tossed over on his back." "So it's important for me to have the ability to defend myself in a situation like that."
Weaver, of the Brady Campaign, said there's no evidence to show that open records put people who carry concealed weapons in greater danger. "We feel that the greater danger is putting concealed-weapons permits in the hands of convicted felons and people that should not be allowed to have them."
Mark Bilicki, a firearms instructor in Greenville, S.C., said he can understand why some people might not want their name and address published, and he tells his students not to put an NRA sticker on their vehicle because it's an advertisement for burglars. He said that for many people, though, letting everyone know they may be carrying a gun is a point in their favor for safety. "Quite frankly, I want everybody to know I own a gun."
Snipped from: http://research.lawyers.com/news-headline/States-act-to-shield-gun-holders--Ammo-for-debate...-l:781698143.html
April 25, 2008
Last week South Carolina became the latest state to stop making the names of people who have a license to carry a concealed weapon public information.
This year, bills have been introduced in Alabama, Louisiana, Missouri, New York, Rhode Island, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The Tennessee bill was defeated, West Virginia's bill was tabled, and Virginia's legislative session ended before a bill could be considered. Action is pending in the five other states.
Concealed-weapon records always have been confidential in 26 states according to Colin Weaver, a spokesman for the Brady Campaign [to Promote Gun Violence].
The fight for record privacyintensified last year, partly in response to media outlets in Virginia, Florida and elsewhere posting records online, said South Carolina state Rep. Michael Pitts, a Republican. "People think this one is absolutely a Second Amendment issue, but it's not," said Pitts, a former police officer who introduced his state's bill to close gun-permit records. "It's as much an issue of where does the sunshine on government stop and the protection on individual privacy begin."
The degree to which these records are open or closed varies from state to state, according to an analysis done by the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. For example:
*In Texas, the database is closed, but a person can pay a fee and find out whether a specific individual is a licensed gun owner.
*In Ohio, records are confidential, but journalists may request to view the name, county of residence and date of birth of each person to whom the sheriff has issued a license to carry a concealed handgun.
Tennessee state Sen. Mark Norris, a Republican who introduced a bill to close his state's concealed-gun permits records, said the main concern is keeping addresses of permit holders private -- particularly of women who have left abusive relationships and don't want the perpetrator to know where they live.
Ron McIsaac, a concealed-weapons permit holder in South Carolina who uses a wheelchair, said he doesn't like the idea of his address being made public, partly because he thinks burglars might target his home to steal guns, and he feels he needs a gun for protection because of his handicap. "All anybody has to do now is come by and knock me off the chair, and I'm like a turtle who's been tossed over on his back." "So it's important for me to have the ability to defend myself in a situation like that."
Weaver, of the Brady Campaign, said there's no evidence to show that open records put people who carry concealed weapons in greater danger. "We feel that the greater danger is putting concealed-weapons permits in the hands of convicted felons and people that should not be allowed to have them."
Mark Bilicki, a firearms instructor in Greenville, S.C., said he can understand why some people might not want their name and address published, and he tells his students not to put an NRA sticker on their vehicle because it's an advertisement for burglars. He said that for many people, though, letting everyone know they may be carrying a gun is a point in their favor for safety. "Quite frankly, I want everybody to know I own a gun."
