Last week Gov. Tim Kaine signed House Bill 2144 into law, making it illegal to obtain access to the names of concealed carry permit holders in Virginia.
House Bill 2144, introduced by Delegate Dave Nutter (R-Christiansburg) makes the state database of permit holders off limits to everyone but law enforcement officials. This issue first came to light in 2007 when the Roanoke Times published the complete database of concealed carry permit holders in Virginia. Following immediate backlash, the database was removed from the Roanoke Times' Web site. The publication of the database did, however, get many people thinking about the responsible distribution of this information. Though it was legal at the time, many people felt it unnecessarily threatened the security of permit holders who may or may not carry guns on them or have them present in their homes. Had the database never been published, this probably wouldn't even be an issue; however, given the animosity that ensued upon its publication, lawmakers wanted to make the information off-limits, their argument being that the abuse of this database could compromise the safety of law-abiding citizens. Permit holders' concerns including being victims of robberies and feeling as if their rights to privacy were being violated.
We would argue that the dissemination of this information does not necessarily make concealed carry permit holders targets, given the information had always been open record even before the publication of the Roanoke Times' short-lived online database. Additionally, as soon as someone applies for a concealed carry permit, this supposed right to privacy was terminated. Removing the State Police database of concealed weapon permit holders from public access hinders individual interest in public safety. Our entire government is predicated on the checks and balances of power, but here our government has very consciously removed the opportunity for oversight. While those with concealed carry permits are required to take classes and go through background checks, there are still - and always will be - mistakes in the system. Now no one has access to this information but law enforcement officials. The average citizen can no longer check to see whether the babysitter to whom they entrust their children is packing heat or to make sure guns aren't falling into the hands of the wrong people.
In closing, the disclosure of this information is far from an open-and-shut, clear decision in either direction. We believe the information is useful to the public, but its elimination from public scrutiny does not constitute great damage to a citizen's ability to check decisions made by his or her government. What it does highlight, however, is the power of gun lobbies (and those who love them) to have immediate impact on our elected representatives. Last year's occulting of monetary contributions to public universities is, in comparison, far more troubling. Laws clarifying student voting and domicile go down in flames while measures like this fly through the legislature. How depressing.
The editorial board is composed of David Grant, David Harries, Laurel Colella, Jenna Marson and Alexandra Kaufmann.