ZeSpectre
Member
Some gun owners somehow missed database controversy
March 20, 2007
Given how much attention this concealed handgun carry permit database thing has generated, I figured anyone in Virginia who has a permit had to know by now what had happened.
I was wrong.
Yesterday evening I was talking to a friend who is an avid hunter and shooter. I said, "I'm guessing you were on the list."
He replied, "What list?"
He's a smart guy. But he doesn't read The Roanoke Times, in print or on-line, doesn't pay much attention to local TV news, and doesn't see many of us sportsmen types at work. So he was clueless. And, yes, he was on the list even though he didn't realize it.
While plenty of folks are still pretty hot over this, things are quieting down. Our last two news stories haven't gotten near the Web views that our stories on the subject were getting last week. But the stories are still getting attention. Yesterday I talked with reporter Laurence Hammack, who's been covering this as a news story for us, and he said that this is the first time he's ever had his voicemail box fill up, that's how much feedback he's been getting.
Our two most recent stories have been really interesting.
In a large article Sunday, Laurence looked into how Virginia compares to other states in terms of how much concealed carry info is public. If you didn't see it, you can read the story HERE. With the story there's a link to an informative graphic.
Interestingly, he found that the Argus Leader newspaper in South Dakota maintains that state's concealed carry permit database on its Web site, but the list includes only the names and the city, town or county of residence, without specific addresses. You can see the entire package the paper did on concealed carry permits HERE.
The South Dakota database has generated some complaints, but not to the level we saw here. I have kin in South Dakota and I was not surprised to spot one of my relatives on the list. In an e-mail exchange yesterday he gave no indication that he has a problem with the database as it is.
Today, our Richmond reporter Mike Sluss reported that the controversy has prompted the state's Freedom of Information Act Advisory Council to study how much of the permit list data should be available to the public. His story is HERE.
There's no certainty the council will find anything wrong with the current system. But it might. Plenty of folks have taken great pleasure pointing out the irony that the paper's decision to make the database public to kick off Sunshine Week could end up prompting tighter protection of that information.
March 20, 2007
Given how much attention this concealed handgun carry permit database thing has generated, I figured anyone in Virginia who has a permit had to know by now what had happened.
I was wrong.
Yesterday evening I was talking to a friend who is an avid hunter and shooter. I said, "I'm guessing you were on the list."
He replied, "What list?"
He's a smart guy. But he doesn't read The Roanoke Times, in print or on-line, doesn't pay much attention to local TV news, and doesn't see many of us sportsmen types at work. So he was clueless. And, yes, he was on the list even though he didn't realize it.
While plenty of folks are still pretty hot over this, things are quieting down. Our last two news stories haven't gotten near the Web views that our stories on the subject were getting last week. But the stories are still getting attention. Yesterday I talked with reporter Laurence Hammack, who's been covering this as a news story for us, and he said that this is the first time he's ever had his voicemail box fill up, that's how much feedback he's been getting.
Our two most recent stories have been really interesting.
In a large article Sunday, Laurence looked into how Virginia compares to other states in terms of how much concealed carry info is public. If you didn't see it, you can read the story HERE. With the story there's a link to an informative graphic.
Interestingly, he found that the Argus Leader newspaper in South Dakota maintains that state's concealed carry permit database on its Web site, but the list includes only the names and the city, town or county of residence, without specific addresses. You can see the entire package the paper did on concealed carry permits HERE.
The South Dakota database has generated some complaints, but not to the level we saw here. I have kin in South Dakota and I was not surprised to spot one of my relatives on the list. In an e-mail exchange yesterday he gave no indication that he has a problem with the database as it is.
Today, our Richmond reporter Mike Sluss reported that the controversy has prompted the state's Freedom of Information Act Advisory Council to study how much of the permit list data should be available to the public. His story is HERE.
There's no certainty the council will find anything wrong with the current system. But it might. Plenty of folks have taken great pleasure pointing out the irony that the paper's decision to make the database public to kick off Sunshine Week could end up prompting tighter protection of that information.
