Concealed handgun license records sealed from public
By KELLEY SHANNON
Associated Press Writer
AUSTIN (AP) -- The names of people licensed to carry concealed handguns in Texas are no longer available to the public.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday that he signed into law a bill that 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.
The entire (brief) article is linked above.
And no, I don't believe that "state-issued CHL permits" are "just another government record" that should be publicly accessible without good cause. The difference between the CHL'er and "doctors, nurses, lawyers, real estate agents and barbers" is that the C in CHL means concealed... i.e. not easily discernable to anyone else. A doctor who practices in secret won't have many patients; a real estate agent who doesn't advertise won't sell many houses. However, the CHL'er isn't marketing his skills with a gun. And a doctor, nurse, lawyer, realtor or barber doesn't endanger his own safety by advertising and being known.
But a CHL'er who quietly goes about his or her business keeps not only himself safe, but also those around him by extension - criminals are more wary of attacking when they're not sure if their potential victim has the ability to fight back. It's been proven over and over again that where CHL/CCW is practiced, the violent crime rate drops. (For a classic example, check out the recent history of Kennesaw, GA)
Now, if the "open records" people insist on knowing who is carrying, I have a suggestion - let's go back to open carry, for anyone who wants to and who isn't a felon who's legally barred from owning a handgun. No permits required. After all, Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia (and others) allow open carry... and their crime rates haven't escalated because of it. They're actually pretty safe places, especially when compared to certain locations in California, New York City, D.C., New Jersey, Great Britain.....
With open carry, it would be immediately obvious to those who want to know, that someone is armed. And they wouldn't have to wait for the government to provide the information.
Associated Press Writer
AUSTIN (AP) -- The names of people licensed to carry concealed handguns in Texas are no longer available to the public.
Republican Gov. Rick Perry announced Thursday that he signed into law a bill that 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.
The entire (brief) article is linked above.
And no, I don't believe that "state-issued CHL permits" are "just another government record" that should be publicly accessible without good cause. The difference between the CHL'er and "doctors, nurses, lawyers, real estate agents and barbers" is that the C in CHL means concealed... i.e. not easily discernable to anyone else. A doctor who practices in secret won't have many patients; a real estate agent who doesn't advertise won't sell many houses. However, the CHL'er isn't marketing his skills with a gun. And a doctor, nurse, lawyer, realtor or barber doesn't endanger his own safety by advertising and being known.
But a CHL'er who quietly goes about his or her business keeps not only himself safe, but also those around him by extension - criminals are more wary of attacking when they're not sure if their potential victim has the ability to fight back. It's been proven over and over again that where CHL/CCW is practiced, the violent crime rate drops. (For a classic example, check out the recent history of Kennesaw, GA)
Now, if the "open records" people insist on knowing who is carrying, I have a suggestion - let's go back to open carry, for anyone who wants to and who isn't a felon who's legally barred from owning a handgun. No permits required. After all, Arizona, New Mexico, Virginia (and others) allow open carry... and their crime rates haven't escalated because of it. They're actually pretty safe places, especially when compared to certain locations in California, New York City, D.C., New Jersey, Great Britain.....
With open carry, it would be immediately obvious to those who want to know, that someone is armed. And they wouldn't have to wait for the government to provide the information.
Labels: gun control, RKBA
posted by quidni | 8:48 PM
1 Comments:
Excellent points and dittos on open carry if they really want to know!!! I think I'd look really cool walking down main street with a big 'ol hog leg on my side, maybe a Ruger Super RedHawk with a bandalero full of .44s across my shoulder. They wouldn't even let me carry one of those when I was a cop...
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