Virginia gun owners with concealed weapons permits won’t have their identities concealed from public view. A state Senate committee struck down legislation that would have made the information private.
The Courts of Justice Committee voted 8-6 to reject the bill. It would have prohibited court clerks from disclosing information contained in permit applications or in permits that had been issued.
The same bill passed by a wide margin last week in the House of Delegates, after being introduced by Del. Mark Cole. Gun rights activists have pushed for the legislation since the Roanoke Times posted a concealed weapons database belonging to state police on its website in 2007. Those activists say allowing the information to stay public poses a threat to gun owners with the permits.
Representatives of gun control, media organizations and open government groups all spoke out against the bill.
