Posted on 05/25/2007 11:19:21 AM PDT by neverdem
Associated Press
Gov. Perry signs the bill, making data available only to law agencies
AUSTIN — The names of people licensed to carry concealed handguns in Texas are no longer available to the public.
Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday that he signed into law House Bill 991, which seals state records showing who is allowed to carry a gun in public. Only law enforcement agencies will have access to the information.
The law took effect immediately upon its signing Wednesday.
Rep. Patrick Rose, D-Dripping Springs, and Sen. Bob Deuell, R-Greenville, put forth the legislation. Rose said it was needed because "the steps that law-abiding Texans take to protect themselves and their families should be issues of private concern."
Similar versions of the bill failed in previous sessions.
The newspaper industry had urged Perry to veto the bill, saying it was an open-government issue, not a gun issue.
Anyone can check on information about other state-issued license holders, such as doctors, nurses, lawyers, real estate agents and barbers, the Texas Daily Newspaper Association and Texas Press Association said in urging a veto.
The Texas Department of Public Safety maintains concealed handgun records.
Since the state's concealed gun law was enacted in 1995, the public has been able to find out whether someone has a license to carry a concealed weapon. The requester had to provide the name of the person in question.
Virginia’s records were open, and some Richmond editor one day published the names and addresses of CCW citizens. Aside from the folks that were threatening to unload their guns in his general direction was at least 1 woman who said that she’d now have to move, as she was hiding from an jealous and violet ex.
Guess I’ll just have to go back to assuming every Texan is armed. :)
Good!
Outing gunowners cuts both ways. I suggest posting the names and addresses of newspaper editors on internet blogs.
The data can be found in just about any appraisal district website (www.hcad.org, www.galvestoncad.org, etc)
Tennessee should do that. The slimy papers in the past ave published licensees, and implied that gun owners are like sex offenders and the public needs to know. It goes with out saying that criminals can use this info to their advantage.
I thought all true Texans were armed.
wise move, ;^)
This works for me.
And, if you don’t own a gun, no crooks will ever be able to know for sure.
We are ;-)
excellent move! pro-gun-control Ohio papers routinely out large numbers of permit holders on a regular basis
Thieves will no longer be able to know which homes contain weapons. That’s doubly good!
Btw; Thieves, if you already have my address.....We’ll keep the light on for ya.
Color me shocked, Perry actually did something Conservative for once. That’s a rare thing lately.
Come on down! I’ll leave the light on for you :-)
It cuts both ways. Occasionally even liberal journalists find it out, when they realize their own names aren't on the list which, by publishing it, they just outed themselves as helpless targets. Not to mention all their gun-neutral neighbors who are likewise stripped of the cover of uncertainty.
We are...and legged, too.
We are...and legged, too.
[old joke]
Good assumption! ‘-)
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