Public permits

The Washington (Mo.) Missourian

The Missouri Senate has rejected an attempt to make public the names of people who receive concealed gun permits. Senators ... voted 19-13 against an amendment that would have required sheriffs to keep lists of permit holders and release them upon request by the public.

We agree with Sen. Ken Jacob of Columbia who argued that the lists of people granted permits to carry concealed guns should be made public, just as are the lists of people who buy hunting and fishing licenses.

"Issuing a permit is a government act," Jacob said. He added that the public has a right to know when the government permits a citizen to carry a gun.

Some of the reasons given to keep the records closed are downright silly: That robbers could use the information to target individuals without permits, or to know when to shoot first; keeping the gun permits secret creates an uncertainty that serves as a deterrent to criminals; a gun permit really isn't anyone else's business; and that concealed gun records are the same as medical records and should be kept secret.

There is no credible reason to keep these records secret. We'd bet that most people who receive a permit to carry a concealed gun wouldn't object to making that information available to the public. Sure, some do object but we believe they are in the minority. It could be argued that a person granted a permit and allowing the public to know it would enhance the safety of that individual. Who wants to challenge a person known to be armed? A somewhat stronger Sunshine Law may emerge from this session of the legislature. However, these efforts are being fought every inch of the way by lawmakers who want to limit information on public business that goes to citizens.