The Times-Journal

Tuesday, February 9, 2010 | DeKalb County's Oldest Newspaper

Classifieds | Jobs | Homes | Autos

Bill would keep handgun records secret

Staff and Wire Reports
The Times-Journal

Published April 13, 2009

MONTGOMERY — The identities of people with permits to carry concealed handguns or stow them in their cars may soon be a secret in Alabama.

A bill supported by the National Rifle Association would seal the handgun permits maintained by county sheriffs and make them available only to law enforcement officers. The public would have access to individual records only if the gun owner had committed a felony.

The sponsor of the proposed legislation, Rep. Jack Page, D-Gadsden whose district includes part of DeKalb County, said the purpose is to prevent theft of the identity of gun owners. Showing his own permit to a news reporter, Page said gun permits contain enough private information, such as date of birth and eye and hair color, to help someone apply for a credit card or other documents in another person’s name.

“That’s sensitive information,” Page said.

He said access to the permits also gives would-be-thieves information on who owns guns.

“They can then use the information to go case homes and look for guns,” Page said.

The bill passed the Alabama House in February by a unanimous vote and cleared the Senate Judiciary Committee last week. The measure is in position to come up for final passage when the full Senate returns Tuesday.

The executive director of the Alabama Press Association, Felicia Mason, said the organization generally opposes bills like this one.

“We would never want to close a record that was previously open,” Mason said.

But she said legislatures in many states have in recent years passed similar NRA-endorsed bills and closed the records. She said the laws were inspired after names and personal information of all concealed weapon permit owners in some areas were published on the Internet.

Currently more than 30 states have laws sealing the pistol permit information, including three of Alabama’s neighbors: Mississippi, Florida and Georgia. In Tennessee, a bill to seal the information is pending in the Legislature.

Mason said the bill pending in the Alabama Senate contains several changes requested by the press association, including the provision that the permit information become public after a felony has been committed.

Another change pushed by the press association adds language that keeps statistical and financial information about concealed weapon permits public. This would allow a news reporter to use the statistics to report on the overall number of permits issued by a county and how much money was collected in fees for the permits.

A lobbyist for the National Rifle Association, Michael Sullivan of Birmingham, said in some states the names of gun permit owners have been published on the Internet “to embarrass or intimidate people.”

House Speaker Seth Hammett said he favors concealing the gun records.

“I think identity theft is one of the main thefts that the average person faces. That’s what people tell me all the time,” Hammett said.

Share | Save | Mail | Print

Photo Reprints
Purchase select photographs from local games and events. New from The Times-Journal and The Times-Journal.

Business Card Directory

Your Fort Payne and DeKalb County reference guide, featuring accounting, automotive, banks, insurance, restaurants and much more!

Subscription Services: Circulation | Home Delivery | Back Issues | Vacation Stops | Newspapers In Education

The Fort Payne Times-Journal | Publisher: J.D. Davidson

811 Greenhill Blvd.NW, Fort Payne, Alabama 35967 | Tel: 256-845-2550 | Email