RICHMOND--"A state police database of concealed handgun permit holders would be off-limits to the public under legislation proposed yesterday by the state's Freedom of Information Advisory Council.
Reacting to a furor over The Roanoke Times' publishing of the database earlier this year, the council yesterday voted in favor of putting in a bill in the upcoming legislative session that would remove the database from public disclosure.
Currently anyone who receives a permit to carry a concealed weapon must provide their name, address and other personal information, which is then stored in court records and provided to the state police.
If the bill were to pass, anyone could still access the information on permit holders by going to each individual court clerk's office. But, said proponents of the proposed bill, that would make it a lot harder on anyone seeking the information for nefarious purposes, such as stalking someone.
House Majority Leader Del. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem, said many people get concealed weapons permits after they've been victims of a crime, such as stalking.
"This is information that in many cases can be dangerous to the individuals," he said.
Taking the database out of the public domain wouldn't necessarily prevent those people from being found by, say, an ex-husband, but the person looking for them would have to know which locality they were living in to find the information, Griffith said.
But at least one FOIA council member argued that it doesn't make sense to limit the way the information can be disseminated but not the fact that it's public at all.
"It's a little bit insulting to the public as customers to say that it's ok for them to get it as long as it's inconvenient," said Craig Fifer of Alexandria.
The council, in an earlier subcommittee, had discussed allowing groups like political parties and nonprofit gun or hunting advocacy groups to still have access to the database--in much the same way voter lists are available to political parties--but eventually decided against that.
Philip Van Cleave, of the Virginia Citizens Defense League, told the committee he hoped they'd return the exemption for gun groups like his.
"This is kind of overkill the way it is right now," Van Cleave said. "We've had access for 10 years and we've done so responsibly."
What lowlife asswipes. No one paying even the slightest bit of attention is unaware of the horrors associated with releasing this sort of information to just anyone. Time to crow about Florida again, and if your state doesn't have the same law then fight for it.
3 instances where the names and addresses of concealed weapons permit holders may be made available.
Law enforcement in the performance of their duties
A court order
The express written consent of the applicant or the applicants legal representative
In other words, no nosy newshound can decide to screw with a battered woman hiding from a spouse. Or a collector, or ANYONE who chooses to own and carry a firearm. None of the general publics business, plain and simple.
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