• Home
  • News
    • Politics & Government
    • Business & Economy
    • Crime / Courts
    • Health / Medicine
  • Sports
    • High School Sports
    • Radio Iowa Poll
  • Affiliates
    • Affiliate Support Page
  • Contact Us
    • Reporters

Radio Iowa

Iowa's Radio News Network

You are here: Home / News / Bill would keep gun permit records secret

Bill would keep gun permit records secret

March 6, 2013 By O. Kay Henderson

Rep. Matt Windschitl

Rep. Matt Windschitl

The names of Iowans who have permits to carry a concealed weapon would be kept confidential if a bill that has cleared a House committee becomes law. Representative Matt Windschitl, a Republican from Missouri Valley, says it’s a public safety measure.

“The information that is to not be released will apply to Social Security numbers, date of birth, your home address or business address,” Windshitl says, “pretty much anything that you would not for public consumption.”

According to Windshitl, there’s “no justifiable reason” that information should remain accessible to the public.

“If this information is continued to be left public, we could end up with incidents like what happened in New York, where that information is taken and disseminated and people could be targeted because they have a permit and potentially have a firearm,” Windshitl says, “or because they do not permit and potentially do not have a firearm.”

Shortly after December’s mass shooting at a Connecticut elementary school, a newspaper in White Plains, New York published the names and addresses of gun permit holders in the northern suburbs of New York City.

Chris Mudge is the executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, a group that opposes the bill.

“There’s no evidence that supports that knowing who a gun owner is is going to result in violence, burglarizing or any of those kinds of things…Doing the government’s business in secret is far more dangerous,” Mudge says. “We are never in favor of shutting down records. We feel as though there’s information that’s important and the public has a right to know who has a gun permit and who doesn’t.”

All the Republicans and all the Democrats on the House Judiciary Committee approved the bill this afternoon. It is now eligible for debate in the Republican-led Iowa House, but Senator Rob Hogg, the Democrat who leads the Senate Judiciary Committee, says he does not intend to allow debate on this or any other bill that deals with guns.

Share this:

  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Filed Under: News, Politics / Govt Tagged With: Democratic Party, guns, Legislature, Republican Party

Featured Stories

Bill would limit placement of solar arrays on farm ground

Marquette casino moving to land, leaving only 2 casino boats in Iowa

Reynolds signs her ‘school choice’ bill into law

Governor Reynolds touts 2024 Iowa Caucuses in Inaugural Address

University of Iowa grad presiding over U.S. House Speaker vote

TwitterFacebook
Tweets by RadioIowa

No coaching changes coming for Iowa football

Iowa State names new receivers coach

No. 2 Iowa visits No. 1 Penn State in wrestling dual Friday night

Iowa’s Clark brings increased exposure to women’s basketball

No. 18 Iowa State women visit TCU

More Sports

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Learfield News & Ag, LLC