Sacramento Bee: Concealed Permit Holders’ Information Should Be Public

On April 20, The Sacramento Bee contended that concealed carry permit holders’ personal information should be public record.

The information is currently public, but Assemblyman Adam Gray (D-Merced) introduced legislation on April 21–AB 1154–to make it private.

According to the Bee, Gray suggested concealed permit holders’ names and “contact information” are currently at risk of exposure. He “wants to remove all addresses and phone numbers from the public record, as is done now for prosecutors, judges and other public officials.”

Gray cited the example of New York’s The Journal News to show that information about concealed permit holders can go wrong when publicly available.

Eight days after the heinous crime at Sandy Hook Elementary School, The Journal News published maps highlighting the homes of every handgun permit holder in Westchester and Rockland counties. Such permits allow people to own handguns in New York; thus, the public information on firearm locations was there for anyone to research and see.

But the Bee does not concur with Gray on this point, believing, instead, that the information on California concealed permit holders needs to remain public so residents can be sure sheriffs are not simply passing permits to “campaign donors.” The paper also wants to ensure that sheriffs are not passing permits to friends outside their jurisdictions.

It is the Bee‘s position that people should be able to find out “if the father of your kid’s friend was driving around with a gun.”

On April 21, Gray’s bill was referred to the Committee on Public Safety.

Follow AWR Hawkins on Twitter @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.