Texas Bill would keep handgun owners' names secret

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Sylvilagus Aquaticus

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As it is now, the names are only available to someone in law enforcement or the legislature who can show good cause to know who has a CHL, contrary to the information in the article (to the best of my understanding).

Paul Watler, the person mentioned in the article, is general counsel for BELO corporation, parent company of WFAA as well as the the Dallas Morning News.

Article follows.

Regards,
Rabbit.


http://www.wfaa.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi


Bill would keep handgun owners' names secret
09:58 PM CDT on Friday, May 13, 2005

By BRAD WATSON / WFAA-TV


The Texas Senate has passed a bill that would keep secret the names of people holding concealed handgun permits.

It's prompted a fight over gun privacy and open government that is likely to heat up in Austin next week.

Handgun owners are again pressing the isue, which lawmakers in the past decided was off-target. Their identities are currently public.

"There are so many people in this state who feel that they have the ability to defend themselves," said Robert Fitzgerald, a concealed handgun permit licensee. "Those persons really don't want other people to know that 'yes, I have this ability to defend myself.'"

The Senate approved an amendment to a House bill Thursday that would no longer allow the public to find out who holds a permit. However, open government advocates claim transparency is needed regarding a deadly weapon.

"When we're handing out permits for people to carry guns in society, I think the trade-off reasonably should be that members of the society should find out who those permit holders are," said Paul Watler of the Freedom of Information Foundation of Texas.

Almost 240,000 Texans hold concealed handgun permits. More than 50,000 of them live in Dallas, Tarrant, Denton and Collin counties.

Some feel they could be set up with their names public.

"This person has a concealed handgun license; that means they have firearms," Fitzgerald said. "This person is then being set up potentially to be a target of a burglary or a robbery."

But Watler sees risks if names are kept secret.

"A battered wife won't be able to find out if her husband has taken out a gun permit," he said. "An employer who may have to fire a problem worker won't be able to find out if that worker has a gun permit."

Next week, a conference committee of senators and House members will start negotiations on this bill to decide if the amendment to keep permit holders' names secret will stay.


For the record, Paul Watler is a Dallas attorney who also represents The Dallas Morning News and WFAA-TV.


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Online at: http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/wfaa/latestnews/stories/wfaa050513_am_handguns.2707fd9c7.html




Regards,
Rabbit.
 
WA does not allow the public disclosure of names of CCW holders which, IMHO, is a good thing. It's no business of the general public (including assorted "rights" organizations and the media) to know whether or not a person is legally able to carry a weapon for his defense.

So what other states do not disclose CCW information??
 
Pretty useless arguments...

If a 'battered wife' has ever pressed the issue legally, her husband will be denied a "gun permit". Furthermore, he will not be able to purchase a gun from a dealer--for which purposes a "gun permit" is not required anyway. More to the point, he can buy a gun from a third party any time without needing any sort of permit. And getting right to the heart of the matter, he can kill her just as dead with a knife, a baseball bat or even his hands if he's so inclined.

If an employer needs to fire a person and finds they have a "gun permit" they can rest easy knowing that person is less likely to commit a crime than the average man on the street. More to the point, a very small percentage of gun owners have a "gun permit" and some people even have "gun permits" who do not own firearms. And, again, getting straight to the heart of the matter, even if this person doesn't have a "gun permit" there are still innumerable ways he can retaliate for being fired.
 
What happened to the vaunted right to privacy, counselor? Didn't you see it floating about the penumbra?

What is your client's position on revealing sources,
counselor? Will your reporters and editors just hand over the names and addresses of their "sources"?

Funny how rights only apply to non-gun owners and not to gun owners. :rolleyes:

Your concerns are specious, counselor. Ever seen a case where an abusive husband . . . broke the law? Broke a restraining or protective order? How many divorces have you done anyhow?

If an abusive husband is abusive, why would it matter whether the wife knew about a carry permit or not? Wouldn't she just assume he had or could hurt her in the ways John described?

I know Mr. Watler is just serving his client by making these silly arguments, but his client is evil. The media should not be allowed this power over people exercising their right to carry pistols. The media is purposefully exposing Texans to violence, for this they must never be forgiven.
 
On written request and payment of a reasonable fee to cover costs of copying, the department shall disclose to any person or agency whether a named individual or any individual whose full name is listed on a specified written list is licensed under the Act. Information concerning a license holder that is subject to disclosure under this section includes the license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race, and zip code.

(b) The department shall notify a license holder of any request for information made relating to the license holder under this section and provide the name of the person or agency making the request.
Click to expand...

Ah yes, my battered wife, can now alert me to the fact that she wants to know if I have a gun permit. Yes, because as my wife, she didn't know I had a gun already and had a concealed handgun license. I think our esteemed lawyer forgets that we don't have gun permits in Texas :)

I would love for my employer to inquire about my CHL before they fire me. Oh man, what a great way to start a lawsuit for discrimination. :evil:
 
As if a CHL enables him to do something with his gun that he could not otherwise do, being a criminal wife-batterer in the first place. Typical argument from the anti-gun side of the fence though, no logic whatsoever.
 
Right now in TX, you do not have to show cause, but you can't submit a list of names to see who has a permit. You have to submit a form for the specific individual, and have a fair bit of their information already, then all the state tells you is yes they have a CHL, or no they don't.
 
Did this bill get past the legislature (along with H.B. 823 -- license-free vehicle carry)?
 
"A battered wife won't be able to find out if her husband has taken out a gun permit," he said. "An employer who may have to fire a problem worker won't be able to find out if that worker has a gun permit."
Click to expand...

Leftist extremists believe their irrational fears trump the nation's civil rights.
 
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