Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Law and Order / Legislature / Woods Committee Votes to Seal Handgun Records in Victory for NRA
Posted by Jeff Woods on Wed, Mar 18, 2009 at 9:59 AM
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The House Judiciary Committee has just voted 6-4 to seal state handgun permit records. Forget the rest of the wacky gun bills filed this session. Closing these records to public view is the NRA's No. 1 priority. It will prevent the public from finding out whether the Safety Department is handing out permits willy nilly to violent felons, which probably is happening even as we speak. And when handgun permit holders commit crimes, which they're doing all the time, the media won't know it.
"This removes all oversight of this program," said Frank Gibson of the Tennessee Coalition for Open Government.
Rep. Eddie Bass amended his bill to make the records public if they are introduced into a criminal proceeding, but that's not much of a concession. What if police never check the records to find out if a killer had a permit?
Bass claimed he was only trying to protect the privacy rights of permit holders. But showing his true purpose, which is to let gun freaks run rampant no matter what crimes they might commit, he fought an amendment to allow the state to continue to publish a statistical report on the program. That report shows the number of permits that have been revoked each year and the reasons, including crimes committed by the permit holders. It does not name any permit holder and provides only raw numbers.
"You know how statistics are," Bass said. "Someday, they can be turned around to hurt our program."
But even the Judiciary Committee couldn't stomach this and out-voted Bass on that amendment to allow the reports to continue. Voting against the bill were Reps. Mike Stewart and Janis Sontany of Nashville, Karen Camper of Memphis and committee chairman Kent Coleman of Murfreesboro.
In other gun nut news, the committee delayed voting yet again on the guns-on-playgrounds bill. It purports to leave it up to city councils to decide whether to allow guns in municipal parks. But it occurred to Sontany that gunmen could roam freely at the Bicentennial Mall whether the Metro Council votes to allow it or not.
"This puts a city like Nashville in a very precarious position," she said in an understatement.
Although he said he's for the bill, Stewart asked for another week to think about it all. The committee's majority gun nuts granted his request, realizing they're going to pass this bill eventually anyway.
Comments (2)
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Another day and more shrill, effiminate squealing from Woods about guns.
Business as usual
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Posted by
Gilbert Martin
on March 18, 2009 at 11:50 AM
Jeff Woods is NOT a reporter, he's a hystrical liar who lets no truth enter his articles.
Bring forth proof that permit holders are committing crimes willy nilly every day, Woods.
Yes, I have a HCP, for about 6 years. I haven't committed any crime, shot anyone, drawn down on anyone.
Posted by
Kent Finnell
on March 18, 2009 at 9:16 PM
